Early WWE Royal Rumble 2020 Match Card Predictions After TLC

Sunday's TLC pay-per-view started off hot with three fantastic matches in a row but as the night carried on, the quality began to dip and a few questionable booking decisions ruined the good vibes from earlier in the night.

The show was not hyped enough ahead of time so some of the feuds featured did not feel developed and some of the storylines that should have been included were left off the show completely.

Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens were nowhere to be seen, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bayley and Rey Mysterio did not defend their titles and Bobby Lashley defeating Rusev felt like the wrong ending to their rivalry.

However, there was plenty to enjoy on Sunday, too. The New Day and The Revival tore the house down in their Ladder match, Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy established themselves as talents to watch in 2020 and Humberto Carrillo picked up an impressive win over Andrade during the Kickoff.

With the year and decade wrapping up, it's time to look to the future and see what The Royal Rumble could have to offer in the way of matches and storylines on January 27. Let's look at which feuds are most likely to fill the card. 

One of the most surprising omissions from TLC was Owens vs. Rollins but WWE may be holding off on their big showdown to sell the attack by The Architect and his new cronies.

Now that Rollins is a heel, he is free to embrace the hate he has been getting from the WWE Universe, which could lead to him becoming a more interesting character and regaining some lost followers.

KO has always been one of the best villains but he has also shown he can be the babyface the company needs him to be when necessary, and this feud with Rollins will give him the opportunity to have what could be some of the best matches of his WWE career.

These are two of the most talented grapplers on the roster. Putting them in the ring together is a recipe for success regardless of character alignment. When they finally lock up at The Royal Rumble, it's going to be a brutal fight. 

Daniel Bryan returned at TLC after being gone for the past couple of weeks due to Bray Wyatt's vicious attack that left him with short hair once again.

The crowd erupted when Bryan appeared in the ring and hit the host of Firefly Fun House with a flying knee to the face. This was obviously the matchup everyone wishes they saw at TLC but waiting until The Rumble gives WWE time to build this storyline into something better.

Going back several years to when Bryan was in The Wyatt Family for a short time helps add depth to this feud and gives both Superstars a richer backstory.

WWE often ignores previous feuds between Superstars from more than a year or two prior because it does not want to seem repetitive but acknowledging Bryan and Wyatt's history if the smart thing to do.

The Yes Man and The Fiend first battled at The Royal Rumble in 2014 so it seems appropriate that their feud should return to the annual PPV for another chapter. 

The final match of TLC was the Women's Tag Team Championship contest but the show ended with a huge brawl featuring The Revival, The New Day, Baron Corbin, Roman Reigns and a few others.

Management obviously wants Reigns vs. Corbin and New Day vs. Revival to continue but having two repeat matches at The Rumble is not the best option.

Putting both storylines together for a six-man tag match will give everyone something to do while keeping their rivalries from growing stale over the next several weeks leading to the PPV.

WWE has gotten comfortable booking champions in non-title matches at PPVs recently so having The New Day in a regular bout won't hurt their momentum.

Reigns has been friendly with Big E and Kofi Kingston and Corbin has teamed with The Revival before so these two groups will have enough chemistry to put on a fun match. 

Lacey Evans has officially turned babyface and is embroiled in a feud with Sasha Banks and Bayley that will likely end with the former Marine getting a shot at the SmackDown women's title at The Royal Rumble.

One of the major criticisms Evans has received from fans is a lack of character development beyond being a jerk from the south but this new direction is going to allow her to connect with different people in different ways.

She is a mother, a veteran and an athlete. The Sassy Southern Belle has a lot of great attributes WWE waited to display until now.

Bayley is the perfect person to help Evans establish herself on the blue brand because she is one of the most consistent performers on the entire roster and her new heel persona is going to make it easy for the fans to cheer for her opponent.

The Boss will probably accompany her best friend to the ring, so Evans will have to install an extra pair of eyes in the back of her head if she hopes to leave with her first title in WWE. 

Asuka and Kairi Sane retained their titles against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair at TLC in the main event. All four women did a great job but it's time for the champions to focus on the established tag teams in the division.

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose are the longest-standing alliance in the women's tag team division aside from The Four Horsewomen and The IIconics, and Alexa Bliss just returned to help Nikki Cross fend them off.

Fire and Desire being in a feud with The Goddess and Cross gives WWE the perfect opportunity to put them in contention for the titles in a triple threat match.

This would allow WWE to crown new champions without The Kabuki Warriors having to take the pin so they can remain strong in defeat, but it is also an opportunity to continue building Asuka and Sane's legend by beating two teams.

All six Superstars are different personalities to it should be fun to see how they all interact in one match. 

What do you hope to see included at The Royal Rumble?