It's been speculated since 2016 but we got the official announcement this past Monday on Raw; On January 28th, 2018, in PHILADELPHIA, the women will compete in the first ever all women's Royal Rumble match. Hurray! I'm all for women's wrestling so this is big for not only the fans but the women involved in the match up and the division. Word is is that the women were kept in the dark regarding the announcement so when Stephanie McMahon said it on Raw, the women's reactions were all genuine. We had heels Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax smiling from ear to ear and hugging like they're clean cut babyfaces. You had Absolution raising their hands with Alicia Fox, who they attacked a week prior. It didn't make sense kayfabe wise but it was still a great time for the women's wrestlers. I mean, we all know everything is staged anyway so who cares if you have heels standing with faces, celebrating a historic moment. Wrestling fans can be so jaded sometimes.
Anyway, the exact number of competitors is unknown. Being that it's now two Rumble matches, one could speculate it will just feature 20 women and that would make sense as there's just about 20 women, excluding champions, on both brands, but that doesn't leave room for surprises and if it does, that means someone from the current roster of women might be excluded and that's not fair. Although women like Dana Brooke or Lana might not get a lot of in ring time, they should still be apart of the match, being that they are women and apart of the active roster. I say let's do 30. To fill in the gaps, you can use women from NXT obviously and bring in surprise entrants. We know, as of now, Naomi from Smackdown and the entire Raw women's roster excluding Maryse, who's pregnant, and Alexa Bliss, who's the champion, will be competing.That includes Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Paige and Asuka. I fully expect the remaining women from Smackdown (Natalya, Carmella, Lana, Tamina, Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch) to be apart of it. That's 19. Nikki Bella will most likely make her return, edging it out to 20. That leaves 10 spots. That's a lot but if they do 5NXT and alumni, then they'll be OK.
If I'm picking women from NXT, you have to use names on TV. NXT Women's Champion Ember Moon has to be in the match if it's for a shot at either the Raw or Smackdown's Women's Title. Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane and the runner up Shayna Baszler, should be considered for the match. Nikki Cross is another one. The Iconic Duo of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay should be at the top of the list, considering their run in NXT looks to be coming to an end.
As for surprise entrants, Trish Stratus is at the top of my list. Rumors have it that Trish was originally going to be the one who faced Asuka at NXT Takeover Toronto but she ended up getting pregnant so that was off. Trish isn't mentioned that much during the whole women's revolution thing and she wasn't present during the Mae Young Classic, despite being a focal point of the division in the late 90s and early 2000s. She's good to go now and I think if she came out at #2, the crowd would blow the roof off the Wells Fargo Center. I know I would lose my composure. Trish teased an appearance on Twitter right after the announcement was made. Could this just be wishful thinking on her part or have WWE contacted her? You have to believe WWE isn't stupid and know the demand to see her compete would definitely add even more intrigue to the match. Lita, Trish's biggest rival and counterpart through their entire careers, (they even retired from WWE within the same two month period) is a big name that people would want. Lita has been more active with WWE over the last few years, being apart of some of the big moments for the division, like introducing the new Women's Title at Wrestlemania 32 and commentating the Mae Young Classic with Jim Ross. Could you imagine if Trish came out, not at #2 like I previously said, dominated for a bit then the next entrant that came out was Lita? How awesome would that be to reignite the best women's feud, even for just two minutes? After that, they could get eliminated by Nia Jax or Absolution or The Riott Squad, getting some major heat.
Recent WWE Hall of Famer, Beth Phoenix has to be another big name for the match. The Glamazon was one of the biggest stars in a post Trish/Lita era, where women's wrestling was really struggling, especially in a PG era. Her HOF induction has to help push her close for a spot in the match. And it would definitely be nice to see Phoenix mix it up with former ally Natayla and best rival Mickie James. James/Phoenix is one of my top women feuds so that's another good one they could ignite during the match. Other names include Kaitlyn, who WWE has been fond of making a comeback, Victoria, another great women's champion in WWE and of course, Stephanie McMahon. If Triple H has taught me anything, the boss could compete too. I'm sure it would piss many fans off if she made it to the final four, three, two or, Lord forbid, the winner, but the inclusion of the most powerful female authority in the company in the first ever all women's Royal Rumble, come on, it writes itself.
The biggest rumored surprise entrant is definitely Ronda Rousey. The Four Horsewomen of WWE VS The Four Horsewomen of MMA has LONG been discussed and talks especially heated up this past summer, when MMA Horsewoman Shayna Baszler competed in the Mae Young Classic. After some heelish actions from Baszler, she had a staredown with Charlotte, Bayley and Becky Lynch. It was INTENSE. They also did a backstage (well, outside) interview with Rousey, who was with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, who is Roderick Strong's girlfriend. It led to another staredown, teasing a future showdown. Rousey being in it could potentially lead to the match for Wrestlemania or even Rousey against one of the girls in a single match. Rousey can be an entrant, but shouldn't win the match. If I'm picking winners, it comes down to Paige or Asuka. I think that's the smart match to have at Mania this year if they're not going to do Sasha/Bayley. If Rousey does win, then Charlotte/Rousey is the biggest match they could do. And they could still do Sasha/Bayley, just have to put the right pieces in place.
Regardless, the Royal Rumble just got a lot more interesting with a 2nd match added. Will it be overkill? I don't think so. The Royal Rumble is my favorite match type. The mystery, the stakes, the set up for Wrestlemania matches. It's got it all. I just hope WWE give the match 30 entrants like it deserves. Anything less is ridiculous. Can't wait!
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