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The 2018 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view was the first time in the history of WWE in which female Superstars received a Royal Rumble match of their own. Before that, fans had watched several women such as Beth Pheonix and Kharma enter the men’s Royal Rumble matches to have some memorable face-offs.
The Women’s Royal Rumble match has allowed WWE an opportunity to build some big matches and rivalries for the female Superstars. Last year, the Royal Rumble was won by Charlotte Flair. However, Bianca Belair, Shayna Baszler, and Naomi got a chance to shine during the match.
This year, WWE could be looking for something similar and could give a major push to some Superstars. At the same time, they will be planning to have some memorable face-offs.
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With that in mind, let’s look at a list of 10 face-offs WWE could be planning for the women’s Royal Rumble this year.
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#10 Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez could meet once again at the Royal Rumble
At WWE NXT New Year’s Evil, Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez competed in a Last Woman Standing match. While Ripley had defeated Gonzalez in their earlier matches, Gonzalez managed to put The Nightmare down for the ten-count.
WWE could bring the angle into the Royal Rumble where Gonzalez could be one of the women from NXT to participate in the match. WWE could allow her to dominate and cause some eliminations, before coming face-to-face with Ripley.
This could be a significant face-off in this year’s Rumble as the two powerful women have a lot of history and WWE could bring their NXT rivalry into the Royal Rumble ring.
#9 WWE could bring Mercedes Martinez and Shayna Baszler face-to-face in the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble match is made up of Superstars from all three brands of WWE. This allows the company to come up with face-offs between some Superstars who have a lot of history. WWE NXT’s Mercedes Martinez is one Superstar who has a lot of history with Shayna Baszler.
The two competitors first met in WWE during the Mae Young Classic. However, Martinez was Baszler’s teacher before she got into WWE.
Keeping that into mind, WWE could orchestrate a big face-off between the two women. This could give the creatives a chance to allow Martinez to eliminate Baszler and leave a mark on the show.
Martinez seems like the next big thing on NXT, and the Royal Rumble match could help her grow as a Superstar in the eyes of the WWE Universe.
#8 Bianca Belair and Lita could have an epic face-off at the Royal Rumble
WWE loves to bring back some fan-favorites and legends for the WWE Royal Rumble. In 2018, Lita made her last Royal Rumble appearance to hype up the match. The Hall of Famer could be brought back in once again by the company to add to the show.
One of the current Superstars Lita has praised is Bianca Belair, and fans can see some similarities between the two Superstars. With that in mind, WWE could bring the two women face-to-face at the Royal Rumble where they could work together, before one eliminates the other from the match.
#7 Naomi could return to WWE and take out Bayley at the Royal Rumble
Naomi has been out of action from WWE since August 2020 due to an injury. The Superstar made an iconic return during the 2020 Royal Rumble, and WWE could look to bring her back at the 2021 Rumble.
Naomi is one of the most exciting Superstars during Rumble matches and has given fans some of the most memorable spots from the annual contest. At the 2021 Royal Rumble, WWE could look to bring Naomi back to action and allow her to have a face-off against Bayley.
Naomi seemed to be getting into a rivalry against Bayley before her hiatus, and she could return at the Royal Rumble to reignite it.
#6 Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair have some history since the previous Royal Rumble
In December 2019, Rhea Ripley won the WWE NXT Women’s Championship after defeating Shayna Baszler. Fans expected Ripley to have a memorable reign as the Champion, but she decided to challenge the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble winner, Charlotte Flair.
Ripley lost her title to Flair at WrestleMania 36, and the two women had some matches on NXT afterward. At Royal Rumble 2021, WWE could bring the two women face-to-face in the ring once again to draw a big pop from the WWE Universe.
Ripley has some unfinished business with Flair, and the Superstar could make her first televised appearance at the Rumble following NXT New Year’s Evil. This will allow her to ignite her first main roster rivalry and move to the RAW brand.
#5 Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair are two of the most dominant women in WWE
Shayna Baszler was known as the most destructive force in all of WWE NXT before her move to the main roster. While Baszler’s initial run was dominating, she's started to pick up many losses on the RAW brand.
Bianca Belair moved to the main roster in 2020 and has since been established as a major force on RAW and SmackDown. The two women could face off again in WWE, and the Royal Rumble could be the perfect place to kick start their rivalry.
Having these two strong women go at each other during the Rumble before allowing one to eliminate the other could allow WWE to build a massive future rivalry.
#4 Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose could light up the Royal Rumble
Sonya Deville had her last WWE match at SummerSlam 2020. The Superstar lost to her former best friend Mandy Rose, and the stipulation required her to leave WWE after her loss.
On the first episode of SmackDown in 2021, Deville made her return to SmackDown where she was spotted backstage. WWE could plan to keep Deville away from the ring until the Royal Rumble, where they could allow her to have a face-off with Rose.
While Rose is on the RAW brand now, WWE could use the face-off to draw a huge pop from the Thunderdome and allow the returning Superstar to eliminate her rival.
#3 WWE could allow Lana to eliminate Nia Jax from the Royal Rumble
Lana and Nia Jax have been able to build quite some history on WWE RAW. The two Superstars had a storyline where Jax kept putting Lana through a table. A week before WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2020, Lana defeated Jax after which The Irresistible Force injured her leg.
WWE could carry that storyline into the Royal Rumble where Lana could return to face-off against Jax. The two women could end up having some interesting spots before Lana eliminates Jax from the match.
This could be a great way to extend their ongoing storyline and take it back to RAW.
#2 Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were split up by WWE
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, formerly known as The IIconics, were seen as the best of friends in WWE. However, the creatives made an odd decision to split up the duo in 2020.
While Royce has managed to find her footing and is competing in some major matches, Kay is still struggling to find her place in WWE. Keeping in mind the history the two women have, it would be great to see them in the Royal Rumble ring at the same time.
Kay and Royce could end up working together for some time before one of them eliminates the other. Royce has a fair chance of winning the Rumble this year, and fans could see Kay eliminate her from the match out of jealousy.
#1 Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss could have a big encounter at the Royal Rumble
This is another pair of best friends who were torn apart by WWE in 2020. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss enjoyed their time together as a team and won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. However, ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt got into Bliss’s head and pulled her away from Cross.
While Cross has tried to bring Bliss back to reality, she has constantly failed. At the 2021 Royal Rumble, WWE could look to have the two women in the ring at the same time to continue their story.
A face-off between Cross and Bliss is sure to send the WWE ThunderDome into a frenzy and could lead to some memorable spots in the match.
