4 Reasons why Raquel Rodriguez won the Elimination Chamber qualifying match on RAW

The field for the 2024 Women's Elimination Chamber match is set after Raquel Rodriguez won the last-chance qualifier battle royal on RAW. The former NXT Women's Champion eliminated Chelsea Green last to stamp her ticket to Perth, Australia.

Rodriguez outlasted a field including Michin, Green, Shayna Baszler, Indi Hartwell, Zelina Vega, and many others. With her win, the odds for some other stars in the Elimination Chamber match decreased greatly.

Since she has been absent from programming for over a month, why did Rodriguez earn the last spot in the Women's Elimination Chamber match? Here are four possible reasons why she won.

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#4 She's been booked strongly on the main roster

Rodriguez is a former NXT Women's Tag Team and NXT Women's Champion. She's also won the WWE Women's Tag Team Title. While she's still looking for singles gold on the main roster, she's been booked strongly on both RAW and SmackDown.

She pushed Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey to the limit when each woman was SmackDown Women's Champion. If officials didn't have faith in Rodriguez, she wouldn't have looked so good against two of the top women in WWE.

Rodriguez will capture a championship soon, and it could start with a win at the Elimination Chamber.

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#3 She hasn't had a clean match against Rhea Ripley

Dominik Mysterio often interferes in Rhea's matches.

If Rodriguez wins in Perth, she'll earn a date with Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 40. It won't be the first time that the two faced off in one-on-one action. Rodriguez beat Ripley in Ripley's final match in NXT. The Nightmare also defended the Women's World Championship against Rodriguez in September.

She didn't get a fair shake, however, as Dominik Mysterio interfered. Nia Jax returned to cause havoc by attacking both competitors in another match. All three were part of a Fatal Five-Way contest at Crown Jewel in November.

Fans will never know who would have won that match, thanks to Jax. Since their history is close, Rodriguez's spot in the Elimination Chamber match increases the number of threats to Ripley.

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#2. A surprise return leads to an Elimination Chamber spot

When WWE advertised the match for the final Elimination Chamber spot, it looked like it would mainly include the women defeated in qualifying matches. That meant Michin, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark, and Alba Fyre would have a second chance.

As RAW began, it was then advertised as a last-chance battle royal, featuring most of the women's roster. The five women in the qualifying matches were included, with Stark and Baszler among the final participants.

Once Raquel's music hit, it was relatively easy to predict her win. Surprise returns can often lead to wins in Royal Rumbles, and that's what happened with the battle royal. Fans may not have been expecting her return, but the surprise was well-received.

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#1. She is a legitimate physical threat to Ripley

Few women in WWE can stand face-to-face with Rhea Ripley.

Rodriguez is one of the bigger women on the WWE roster. Along with Ripley, Flair, Jax, Bianca Belair, and now Jade Cargill, Rodriguez is usually posited as one of the strongest women in WWE.

Commentators mention that fact almost every time one of these women has a match on RAW or SmackDown. Similar to Gunther, when Ripley loses her title, it has to be to a formidable superstar.

Few women can match Ripley's size and strength, but the aforementioned women can. Rodriguez is a believable threat to the Women's World Champion.