WWE Royal Rumble 2019: 10 Things We Learned
Royal Rollins' path to WrestleMania is clear...
Daniel Bryan's agonised expressions and pain-soaked cries told the story of a character battling his inner pride. Meanwhile, ex-WWE Champ AJ Styles fought valiantly to stave off the bitter disappointment of losing his title in the first place. Sounds almost poetic, doesn't it? The next line isn't quite as elegant, but it's nonetheless true.
These guys could work five-star classics in their sleep.
Their Royal Rumble match was the latest slow-burning corker, one that provided a new alliance for DB with Erick Rowan and yet another example of AJ's importance near the top of the card. Near the top. What happened at the Rumble has threatened to change everything when it comes to Styles; for the first time in a long time, he could be cycled out of the main event mix on SmackDown.
With two titular 30-person bouts, no less than seven title matches across both the pre-show and pay-per-view, and a wad of other moments of note, there was a ton to take away from Sunday's Rumble. Here's everything we learned, including some key insight into how Styles' 2019 will pan out...