The annual Royal Rumble pay-per-view aired live on the WWE Network on Sunday night, and Charlotte Flair and Drew McIntyre earned the right to go to WrestleMania 36 and challenge for a title when they won their respective Royal Rumble matches.
It was reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that originally Flair and McIntyre were not scheduled to win.
Original plans reportedly called for Roman Reigns to win the men’s Royal Rumble match, and former NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler to win the women’s Royal Rumble match.
Dave Meltzer noted that the decision to go with McIntyre and Flair as the winners was probably made around January 14, as the smart money odds for betting then shifted from Baszler to Flair.
Current plans for top WrestleMania matches include Drew McIntyre challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, with Roman Reigns challenging The Fiend for the Universal Championship.
Another big match currently planned for WrestleMania 36 is Randy Orton vs. Edge.
