The best time of the year for professional wrestling fans is upon us. The 2019 WWE Royal Rumble event takes place Sunday night, as one of the most exciting cards in sports entertainment kicks off the year and gets us all ready for WrestleMania 35 in just a few months. Championships will be on the line, and of course, two Royal Rumble matches featuring both the men and the women will be taking center stage in Phoenix inside of Chase Field.
There's just a few more days now until the Royal Rumble event goes down, but let's now take a look at the card as it's shaping out with two big championship matches already set for Chase Field. Royal Rumble will begin on Sunday with a kickoff show at 5 p.m. ET before the main card starts two hours later at 7 p.m. CBS Sports will be previewing the Royal Rumble over the next few weeks, so be sure to stick with us.
Live now: Follow the 2019 Royal Rumble with results and grades!
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2019 WWE Royal Rumble matches
Men's Royal Rumble: As is customary, 30 men will step into the ring to take part in the traditional the over-the-top rope affair with the right to challenge either world champion at WrestleMania 35 on the line. Last year's bout brought us a first-time winner in Shinsuke Nakamura, so will this year bring us another competitor adding a Royal Rumble victory to his accolades? Confirmed entrants: Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Elias, Jinder Mahal, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, Titus O'Neil, Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Mustafa Ali, R-Truth (No. 30).
30-Woman Royal Rumble: The women made history last year in Philadelphia as the first female Rumble match in history claimed the main event spotlight, with Asuka emerging victorious. Thirty of the best female talents in the company will again take to the ring vying for the chance to get their WrestleMania moment come April. Confirmed entrants: Natalya, Bayley, Ember Moon, Lacey Evans, Alexa Bliss, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Mickie James, Alicia Fox, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Zelina Vega, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Tamina, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Dana Brooke, Lana, Nia Jax, Nikki Cross, Carmella (No. 30).
Universal Championship -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Finn Balor: The universal title picture took another swerve on Monday night when Braun Strowman was removed from hiss scheduled match with Lesnar. Balor won a Fatal 4-Way match to determine Lesnar's new No. 1 contender and even got an endorsement from John Cena at the end of the show. Whether this change was made due to Strowman's injury or it was a planned storyline swerve remains to be seen, but Balor being put in this spot is interesting considering he was removed from this exact match one year ago in favor of Strowman and Kane.
WWE Championship -- Daniel Bryan (c) vs. AJ Styles: There's no more automatic rematches in WWE, at least for now, but Styles is getting his rematch anyway after showing some newfound aggression to win a Fatal 5-Way No. 1 contender's match on New Year's Day.
Raw Women's Championship -- Ronda Rousey (c) vs. Sasha Banks: When we talked about dream matches for Rousey upon entering the company, this was certainly one of them on the list. Banks became the No. 1 contender to the Raw women's title on Raw when she defeated Nia Jax, and now "The Boss" will compete in one of the biggest matches of her career come Phoenix.
SmackDown Women's Championship -- Asuka (c) vs. Becky Lynch: This match was randomly announced for Royal Rumble during an episode of Main Event on WWE Network only for ex-SmackDown general manager Paige to jump on Twitter and explain that it was not actually official. Considering the graphic was made already, one assumes this was in WWE's plans -- and it was. Lynch earned the shot at Asuka with a triple threat victory over Charlotte Flair and Carmella on SmackDown.
SmackDown Tag Team Championship -- The Bar (c) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon: Although the team has just formed, Miz was not ready to be patient for he and McMahon to get a title shot, and he really didn't have to be. He got a Brogue Kick for his challenge effort, but The Bar were more than happy to accept the challenge of the fresh new duo for Phoenix.
United States Championship -- Rusev (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (Kickoff show): In what may likely be one of the matches presented on the kickoff show, Nakamura will get a shot to earn back the U.S. title after dropping it to Rusev recently.
Cruiserweight Championship -- Buddy Murphy (c) vs. Kalisto vs. Akira Towaza vs. Hideo Itami (Kickoff show): Murphy told 205 Live general manager Drake Maverick that he wanted a challenge, so at the Royal Rumble, he'll get just that with a Fatal 4-Way bout. He'll be facing off with three of the best the cruiserweight division has to offer, with Itami recently earning the final slot by defeating Cedric Alexander on an episode of 205 Live.
