WWE Royal Rumble 2019: 10 Things That Must Happen

9. Rusev Day Trumps Nak-America

Rusev Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Sound the trumpets, for Rusev Day shall continue. At least, we hope so.

It seems a bit premature to think about ending Rusev's United States Title reign. He only won the belt during the last knockings of 2018, and he's popular enough with fans to keep it going through 'Mania season. Sorry, Shinsuke, but your dreams of running Nak-America again will have to be put on ice for now.

Truthfully, this is one of the Rumble card's least interesting matches. It's actually one the show could be doing without; both guys are probably going to be in the men's Rumble anyway, so it might've been better to hold onto their star power for a nice reaction there instead of wheeling them out for a tacked-on title bout earlier.

Alas, WWE think otherwise, and the match is on. The right result then is a Rusev win, and a clean one. Nakamura didn't do enough as champion to merit a screwy finish, and he's unlikely to be the Bulgarian's long-term opponent after this.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.