WWE already announced last October that the 2nd ever women's Royal Rumble will be returning this year.
What can we expect out of this match? Probably a female version of the men's match.
We saw several returning favorites and NXT surprises at the first ever women's Royal Rumble in January 2018:
- Beth Phoenix
- Ember Moon (then NXT Women's Champion)
- Jacqueline
- Kairi Sane (2018 Mae Young Classic winner)
- Kelly Kelly
- Lita
- Michelle McCool
- Molly Holly
- Torrie Wilson
- Trish Stratus
- Vickie Guerrero
That's 11 women who competed in the Rumble who weren't on the main roster at the time.
But WWE has stacked it's main roster in 2018. Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Zelina Vega and Ember Moon were all called up. Maria and Maryse both returned from having babies.
If WWE combined their Raw, Smackdown, NXT and NXT UK brands, they could easily get 30 women.
Here's a list of the women on the active roster who could potentially appear in the match:
- Alicia Fox
- Bayley
- Becky Lynch
- Billie Kay
- Brie Bella
- Carmella
- Charlotte
- Dana Brooke
- Ember Moon
- Lacey Evans
- Lana
- Liv Morgan
- Mandy Rose
- Maria Kanellis
- Maryse
- Mickie James
- Naomi
- Natalya
- Nia Jax
- Nikki Bella
- Nikki Cross
- Peyton Royce
- Ruby Riott
- Sarah Logan
- Sasha Banks
- Sonya DeVille
- Tamina
- Zelina Vega
That's not counting NXT or NXT UK ladies:
NXT women:
- Shayna Baszler (Champion)
- Aliyah
- Bianca Belair
- Candice LeRae
- Dakota Kai
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Io Shirai
- Kairi Sane
- Mia Yim
- Taynara Conti
- Vanessa Borne
Developmental women:
- Jessie Elaban
- Kacy Catanzaro
- Kavita Devi
- Lacey Lane
- MJ Jenkins
- Reina Gonzalez
- Xia Li
NXT UK women:
- Rhea Ripley (Champion)
- Isla Dawn
- Jinny
- Killer Kelly
- Toni Storm
- Xia Brookside
Still, my hope is that there's some room left open for some surprise returns.
I think we'll see less NXT women this year (last year both Kairi Sane and Ember Moon competed) and we won't see any of the surprise returns who were in the 2018 match (that means no Lita, Trish, Torrie Wilson, etc.).
Bianca Belair or Io Shirai may show up, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't either.
It's possible Maryse doesn't compete because she's been spending time being a mom and she's more of a manager than a wrestler.
But she has been in mixed-tags in 2018 and she's a former Diva's Champion. She missed out on last year's match, so I wouldn't be surprised if she'd want to be in on this match.
We know these women won't be appearing in the match:
- Ronda Rousey (because she's the Raw Women's Champion)
- Asuka (because she's the Smackdown Women's Champion)
- Tegan Knox (NXT) - injured
- Alexa Bliss (possibly still recovering from some concussion issues)
So, there are still a few spots open for surprise returns.
WWE has a surprisingly long list of women who they could turn to for a one-time appearance.
The focus should be on putting over newer talent, of course, but nostalgia is always nice.
Here are some ladies who could return, who should return, who won't return and who shouldn't return:
She could've contributed for several more years. Just look at Mickie! She's still at it. Melina could be doing the same.
Her matches with Mickie James on Heat and Raw could still be put up against most matches in the women's evolution and hold their own.
There's a lot of Melina in Sasha Banks, so I'd mark out for a battle between those two. Melina and Zelina Vega are good friends in real-life, so that'd be fun for them (plus their names rhyme). Melina and Alicia Fox were good friends. Melina and Maryse were pals. Melina and Mickie are still good friends.
The Bellas mentioned Melina in their RF Video shoot as being one of their favorites. There's a lot of combinations that either A) the fans would like or B) the women themselves would like.
Melina announced late last summer that she was retiring, so chances may be slim, but we all know how retirements in pro wrestling go.
Verdict: should appear
Her career goes far beyond WWE, though. The AWA. WCW. Japan. She's competed all over.
She's already in the WWE Hall of Fame and probably would've been in the first-ever women's Rumble, but she'd just had knee surgery, so physicality was out of the question.
She competed at Evolution in the women's battle royal, but she showed some ring rust. It'd be nice to see her enter the Rumble now that she's had 3 months to shake off any additional ring rust after her knee surgery.
Even though she wouldn't be the biggest surprise, there are still some entertainment moments to be had. A face-off against Natalya or Beth Phoenix or Charlotte would be something Madusa and the fans would both enjoy.
Verdict: could appear
But she could still spike her hair, throw in some orange, blue or green hair dye and be the biggest surprise entrant of the match.
I know there are multiple women who would absolutely love to have a chance to be in the ring with her, even if it's just for a few seconds.
The legend that Bull Nakano is, she never got a huge spotlight in WWE. She's a former one-time WWE Women's Champion, but it's not as though she got the showcase she probably deserved. No Wrestlemania match.
No Survivor Series match. One title reign. A stand-off, for old time's sake, against her rival Alundra would be magnificent. Bull facing off against Asuka, Nia Jax, Beth Phoenix and Natalya would be fun, too.
There'd probably be a Rumble match backstage to determine who gets to square off against Bull.
Verdict: should appear
It's a mystery as to why, but she didn't end up showing up at the last two Hall of Fame ceremonies because she said she would've had to have purchased her own ticket. No autograph signings at Axxess. She hasn't been featured much in the video packages throughout WWE's women's evolution the past few years.
She didn't even appear at WWE's big first-ever all-women's pay-per-view event: Evolution.
Yet she's easily one of the most recognizable women and deserving women from her era. The hardcore matches, the first ever women's cage match, the great character that she played and the willingness to put over whoever she needed (even if they were Diva Search girls with no training).
Victoria should be in the Hall of Fame and a Royal Rumble spot in January would be a nice way to kind of lead into a Hall of Fame induction come Wrestlemania.
Verdict: should appear
Nidia didn't pursue wrestling after being released, but there weren't really many options at that point.
TNA was around, but they only had an hour of TV time and were hardly a big #2 company. Nidia could definitely add a healthy dose of comedy to this match.
Her feud with Torrie Wilson is still memorable, so the two of them could square off a bit.
Or Nidia could go against someone like Sarah Logan. The redneck versus the Viking wannabe. That'd be kind of fun. Or maybe Nidia and Lana? Nidia and Liv Morgan? Nidia and Zelina Vega? I could see her character having fun interactions with all of those ladies.
Bring on Nidia!
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
Hopefully that took care of it.
It was a 20-some minute, outpatient procedure, so it's possible that she could show up for a quick spot in the Rumble. Torrie Wilson had back surgery and has done a few quick matches since then.
Kharma vs. Nia Jax is the big showdown everyone wants to see. The Royal Rumble is the perfect time to do it: short, sweet and awesome! Maybe even a run-in with Bull Nakano before being eliminated??
She seems to be done with wrestling, but a chance to compete in an all-women's Rumble and a showdown with Nia Jax? I feel like Kharma would come out of retirement for a little bit of that.
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
Jillian worked hard for years and did get to hold the Diva's Title for all of 5 minutes on an episode of Raw before she lost it, but that's not really enough of a reward for her work.
A Royal Rumble appearance would be a nice gesture on WWE's behalf for relegating her to backstage segments with guest hosts instead of tearing it up in the ring as she should've been doing. She deserves a better last appearance than randomly disappearing from WWE programming.
Also, a lot of her content on the WWE Network has been cut due to copyright reasons (she sang Britney Spears, Beyonce and Rihanna songs on Raw, but WWE doesn't own those copyrights, so they can't put them on the WWE Network).
Plus (and mostly this), she'd get a good reaction from the fans.
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
Eve could've been a credible wrestler had she been in a different era. She was saddled with the butterfly belt and the 'Diva' moniker, though. A Royal Rumble appearance would be a nice way to say 'thanks' to the former 3-time Diva's Champion.
After all, I don't think she had a Hall of Fame career and she didn't get a Trish Stratus retirement, so a Royal Rumble entry would be a nice way to give back to her a bit.
Prediction: won't appear
Her Queen Sharmell really made the King Booker character. While she doesn't wrestle on a regular basis, she's trained and she's involved in Booker T's training school in Texas. She knows how to bump. A Royal Rumble spot wouldn't be that unusual.
I think fans would like to see the Queen Sharmell character one more time.
She could play a heel and could have a fun interaction with Lana. Queen Sharmell against The Queen (Charlotte) would be kind of fun, too. Charlotte would get the better of that exchange, but that's OK. It'd be a nice moment.
I'm sure Naomi would like to have a moment with Sharmell and I think Ember Moon (since she trained at Booker's school) would enjoy an interaction as well.
Prediction: won't appear, but should
She looked as crisp as ever in the Mae Young Classic. She's not used to working lengthy matches (her era didn't exactly celebrate women's wrestling), but she'd be fine in a battle royal setting.
She didn't show up at WWE Evolution, so she'd be one name that could be a bit of a surprise for the 2nd women's Royal Rumble.
Possible confrontations include: Natalya, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke
Prediction: could appear
Her Hollywood career isn't exactly taking off, despite having The Rock's ex-wife as her manager. She was probably a little more athletic than most fans give her credit as being, but she was no great wrestler by any means. Still, an appearance would get MASSIVE heat. You wouldn't even need her to show up.
Remember what WWE did during her last few weeks with the company? They came up with all kinds of excuses for her to avoid competing --- a leg injury, a wardrobe malfunction, being stuck in traffic.
They could hit her music with the voice over and then say, 'Eva Marie attempted to make it to the arena tonight, but she lost her luggage, so she won't be able to compete.'
Yeah, it kind of wastes a spot, but just hitting her music would get great heat. She's the kind of mid-card character who is perfect for a match like this. She'll likely never return as a full-time competitor, but people remember her name. She's very suited for a one-time appearance in a Royal Rumble match.
Could you imagine the reaction from a serious wrestler like Becky Lynch upon hearing Eva's music? Come to think of it, we never got that Becky Lynch vs. Eva Marie match on Smackdown ...
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
She never went to the level of a Trish Stratus in terms of popularity or a Mickie James in terms of in-ring talent, but she was kind of a Trish Stratus-lite.
Still, she was the Trish Stratus of a transitional time frame. The Diva Search girls were trying to become respected wrestlers and she was the first one of that bunch to win a championship.
Candice's efforts went a long way for the likes of McCool, The Bellas, Layla and Eve winning titles down the line. A payoff in the form of a women's Rumble entrant would be nice for Candice.
I'd like to see Candice and Mandy Rose square off, as they have somewhat similar characters.
Prediction: won't appear
I think there's a slim chance she could be used. Cherry is great friends, to this day, with Natalya and Beth Phoenix.
She had a very memorable gimmick. I think fans would get a kick out of seeing her rollerskate down the ramp at the Royal Rumble --- especially if she came out to Deuce and Domino's theme music (something about it was awesome).
She'd be eliminated fairly quickly -- within about 10 minutes -- but it'd be nice to see her in a WWE ring again and give some closure to her WWE career, which felt cut short way too soon.
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
This would definitely have to be a comedy spot because Rosa just isn't a physical threat. She's not athletic. She's not coordinated. She could show up and get eliminated right away.
She could be the Santino of the women's Rumble.
Maybe she tries to be Rocky and attack Nia Jax, only to fail miserably. I think it'd get a reaction. Levity is an important part of Royal Rumble matches. Rosa could provide that.
Though she is apparently training for a possible comeback. Best of luck to her in that effort. Nice to see that she's trying. A Royal Rumble spot would be a nice way to test any chances of a return.
Prediction: won't appear
She already competed in October at WWE Evolution, but the Royal Rumble is a different animal than a normal battle royal.
I'd like to see her interact with Bayley, who was a fan of hers growing up. A scuffle with Becky Lynch would be fun, too.
Imagine if Ivory showed up as RTC Ivory! She could have some fun interactions with Liv Morgan or Ruby Riott or Lana. RTC Ivory surely wouldn't like the way Mandy Rose dresses, right?
Verdict: could appear
She did win the Women's Title twice, but that's only because she was feuding with Trish Stratus.
She never feuded with anyone else in the company, outside of some tag matches against the likes of Victoria and Lita.
She returned to WWE for their version of ECW and was presumably going to feud with Trinity, but Trinity did a moonsault to the ringside floor without knee pads and busted her knee up on the cement. Oh, what could've been!
I think she's involved in a concussion lawsuit against WWE (or she was anyway), so chances are she won't make an appearance, but it'd be cool if she did.
If she were to have made an appearance I think it would've been at the first women's Rumble in Philadelphia. With that healthy ECW fan base, it seemed like the most logical place for Jazz to show up.
Still, Jazz would have a great, physical exchange with any of these ladies: Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Sonya DeVille or Ember Moon.
Prediction: won't (but should) appear
Layla, of course, had a run as a face and as Diva's Champion, but that was at maybe the lowest point for the women --- barely being given time to compete on TV.
I think fans would know who she is because she was around for so long and did get a lot of TV time as a character, even if she didn't get to wrestle as many high-profile matches as she probably would've liked.
Prediction: won't appear
While some of today's WWE fans may not entirely remember her, she stuck it out in the wrestling business long enough to get a pop in a Royal Rumble match. I don't think she'd get zero reaction, especially among the hardcore fans that are typically at the Royal Rumble.
After WWE Evolution she pretty much ruled out any kind of return because of a previous concussion diagnosis
Prediction: won't appear
Christy was famously released from her contract for a mysterious reason, but she went on to have almost a decade in TNA / Impact Wrestling, as a manager, wrestler, interviewer and ring announcer. She spent more of her career outside of WWE than in it, but she was with the company at such a hot time and she's been recognizable enough with Impact that she'd get a reaction, no doubt.
She never held a title in her time and she'll never be in the WWE Hall of Fame, but she could have a Rumble appearance to cap off her surprisingly long career.
Prediction: won't appear
She was Layla's tag team partner in the ripped off version of LayCool. I don't know that she'd get a big reaction because she hasn't really been gone long enough to be missed.
I'm not sure who she'd interact with. She was around when all of the current women were around. She could pick up her feud with Lana I guess.
She could attempt to go after Nia Jax, which would result in an elimination of course.
She's good friends with Sasha Banks, so she still has an 'in' with WWE. It's possible I guess.
Verdict: won't appear, but possible
She went back to NXT to train and seemed to be getting better, but it would've been a long, long road before she ended up being in the league of women like Sasha, Becky, Charlotte, Asuka, etc.
It would be fun to see her show up if Alicia Fox and Melina were battling it. She comes down the aisle to try to break it up or get involved. That would be a little throwback moment to her comment about her favorite match involving Alicia Fox and Melina on the Tough Enough that Steve Austin coached.
She got hammered for that comment on social media, but I understand what she was saying. Still, it'd be a neat way to poke fun at that.
Cameron trying to eliminate her old pal Naomi would be another memorable moment.
Verdict: won't (and probably shouldn't) appear
Aksana could fill the spot that Dana Brooke currently has.
She's maybe a little less athletic than Carmella, but not by much. She had the fun foreigner gimmick long before Lana and did a great job with it on season 3 of NXT, but WWE crapped all over that season and had Aksana become a James Bond-like villainess on Smackdown.
She was Kristal Marshall 2.0 in her relationship with Teddy Long. Then she was a jobber.
WWE should've used her better, but after she injured Naomi, that was kind of the end for her.
I'd, personally, like to see Aksana show up, but I know that she probably won't and that most fans probably won't react one way or the other to her entrance music.
Still, she could have fun interactions with Carmella, Liv Morgan, Lana and a few others.
Verdict: won't appear (but I'd like to see it)
Just look at her TNA One Night Only match with Rebel to see proof of that. She was a bit character who is probably mostly forgotten amongst most fans.
In 2017, she made a claim about a near-sexual assault situation, so I assume she wouldn't exactly be welcomed back.
Stay away, from the Rumble but I wish her nothing but good in her own life.
Verdict: won't (and shouldn't) appear
While it would be nice for Ashley and her fans if she were a Rumble entrant, truth be told she's not athletic enough to warrant a spot. She can't really do a comedy bit. There's not a huge sense of nostalgia with her.
I don't see her fitting into a Royal Rumble match in 2019. She could've been involved in the Wrestlemania 25 Diva Battle Royal, but a 2019 Rumble match? Nah.
Verdict: won't (and shouldn't) appear
While Jackie did improve from that point, she was never a great wrestler (or even a good wrestler). She made the jump to TNA after getting released from WWE, but her storyline with Jeff Jarrett wasn't even finished up. I think she only lasted about 6 months there.
In the meantime she's been having babies with Charlie Haas. She did show up for the Wrestlemania 25 Diva clusterf--- I mean ... battle royal --- but you wouldn't know it based on the amount of camera time she got.
Some fans would probably remember her, but I don't see her name being able to add much to the match.
Verdict: won't (and shouldn't) appear
I don't think that's enough for fans to really know who she is or remember that she was the 3rd non-talking member of Extreme Expose in WWE's version of ECW.
I wouldn't complain if she were in the match, but I don't think she's as remembered by the WWE Universe as someone like Tiffany / Taryn Terrell, who got much more screen time during her time on ECW.
Verdict: won't appear
Gail Kim and Emma - two women who should've never been let go from their contracts and who should've been used more wisely when they were around. Gail has made it clear that she doesn't want to return to WWE, so therefore she shouldn't.
It's a shame, sure. She feels the way she feels though. Plus, she's working in a backstage capacity for Impact Wrestling.
Then there's Emma. She is still recovering from injury and she signed on with Ring of Honor as a Woman of Honor, so technically she probably can't show up.
It's a real shame because she's got so much talent. She's charismatic and athletic and gets it. She's still great friends with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay apparently, so it's good that she's got contacts within WWE.
I'm hopeful that a year or two down the road we'll see Emma make a WWE return and be much more appreciated.
Neither one is available right now, but in an ideal world they'd both be part of the match
Verdict: won't appear
The three women are certainly remembered by a lot of fans because there were a lot of eyeballs on the WWE product at the time they were around.
I'd argue that The Kat, Debra and Terri are more remembered these days than the likes of the Diva Search girls who had shorter runs with WWE.
Even if women like Rosa Mendes and Eva Marie were used, they were all still considered 'wrestlers' more so than Debra, Terri or The Kat ever were.
I'm not sure who they'd really interact with in the match either. Debra and Lana maybe?
Terri coming out in a Goldust-like suit as 'Marlena' would be interesting.
These non-wrestling girls could team up on someone like Ruby Riott and cause a shocking elimination, but that would require the group of the 'non-wrestlers' to be involved in the match and I just don't see that happening.
Verdict: won't (and shouldn't) appear
Lita basically called her sloppy on Lilian Garcia's podcast, but I disagree. I think Trinity was probably more athletic than Lita ever was in terms of aerial ability (and I'm a Lita fan!).
Trinity was wasted in WWE, though. She was a manager on ECW and .... that's it.
Her biggest highlight was probably ECW's strip poker game. She did have a very good match with Beth Phoenix in Ohio Valley Wrestling, but she never competed in a single match in WWE. She made a Wrestlemania appearance as a lumberjill, but that's pretty much as far as her WWE career went.
If this were a TNA / Impact battle royal, I'd be 100% behind bringing Trinity in. She was one of the original TNA Knockouts and had some impressive showings in 2002, 2003 and 2004. She never made a big mark in WWE. That's unfortunate, but that's how it is.
Verdict: won't (and shouldn't) appear
I'm afraid she wouldn't get much of a reaction unless WWE placed her into a few video packages or WWE.com content to help remind fans who she is.
If they caught a glimpse of her there, she may get a better reaction than if she randomly walked out.
That's the unfortunate part about highlighting the same people over and over again: others get lost in the shuffle and forgotten about, even if they had some memorable moments of their own.
I think that's probably how it would end up if Tori showed up: random. Her music (that very few people would even recognize) would hit and they'd be like 'Huh?'
Some fans may remember her as the 'other Tori' (Torrie Wilson being her name counterpart), but most of today's current fans will be clueless as to who she is.
Verdict: won't appear
I'm not sure who will show up for the Rumble. I hope they keep it under wraps because surprises are one of the best things about that night.
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