WWE Royal Rumble: Five potential women's Royal Rumble winners
Friday 26 January 2018 22:48, UK
History will be made in Philadelphia on Sunday night when WWE stage the first women's version of the Royal Rumble match.
Thirty female wrestlers will compete for the chance to take on either Raw champion Alexa Bliss or her SmackDown equivalent, Charlotte Flair, at WrestleMania.
With 22 active women competitors on the main roster, speculation is rife that there will be some surprise appearances at the event.
Given the historic significance of the match - and the reward for winning it - the winner will be someone in which the company will be putting great faith and a major investment for the future.
So who is in the frame to pick up that victory? We took a look at five candidates...
Asuka
Everything is pointing to Asuka winning. She has never lost a match in her entire run with the company and on the 25th anniversary of Raw she wiped out heels and babyfaces alike before, perhaps significantly, tossing her team-mates over the top rope one at a time.
The only possible stumbling block is that the dream match most regularly cited for Asuka is against Charlotte, whose path the Empress of Tomorrow did not cross in NXT.
Asuka is, of course, on Raw and so would, in theory, face Alexa Bliss if she were to win. But that is only in theory…
Victory likeliness rating: A
Ronda Rousey
While it would potentially ruffle feathers among the full-time women on the roster who have paid their pro wrestling dues, there would be a logic in a legitimate combat sports star picking up the victory at the first Royal Rumble.
It would also provide the company with a moment which would make headlines in mainstream news outlets and give them significant exposure in markets outside of their traditional wrestling base.
Despite a mountain of speculation, Rousey remains unsigned by WWE, at least in official terms. But that would hardly be a barrier.
Victory likeliness rating: A
Stephanie McMahon
Anyone who follows the Raw commissioner on Instagram will know what a dedicated follower of fitness McMahon is, and she could ensure nuclear levels of heel heat for herself by winning the Rumble and declaring that the women's revolution is, in fact, all about her.
It seems improbable, but a certain Vince McMahon on Raw 25 this week provided a timely reminder of the value of the manipulative boss to wrestling storylines and the apple never falls far from the tree.
Were she to clinch the victory at the expense of a popular babyface it would only increase the impact and if it were to be at the expense of, say, Rousey, then there would be even more plot possibilities for WrestleMania.
Victory likeliness rating: B
Nia Jax
The firing of Enzo Amore has stopped dead a Nia Jax storyline in which she was increasing her popularity and showing new layers to a character which until that point had been based around a downbeat monster heel, albeit an unstoppable one.
Competitors have resorted to creative ways to defeat Jax in the past - see the triple pin at last year's WrestleMania for reference - and some thought will need to go into how she will eliminated from the Rumble.
Unless, that is, she isn't eliminated at all.
Victory likeliness rating: C+
Becky Lynch
SmackDown's Straight Fire babyface continues to enjoy high levels of support from a loyal fan base whose backing of Becky is not always rewarded with actual in-ring success.
Her most obvious Raw equivalent, Bayley, also retains a following despite not being booked especially strongly, but a Rumble win for either would give them a huge amount of fresh energy.
Lynch is arguably the more intriguing of the two in terms of a potential winner, as her title match would then be against her great off-screen friend, Charlotte.
Victory likeliness rating: C
Watch WWE Royal Rumble live on Sky Sports Box Office at midnight on Sunday night and book it online HERE.
