Ranking the chances of 7 WWE Women most favored to win the Royal Rumble this year

Heading into this year's Women's Royal Rumble, WWE has already confirmed more than half of the entrants for the contest.

As a result, there are multiple contenders that fans and experts have predicted to be the most likely winners. Interestingly, some of these names have not been officially announced for the Rumble yet.

Legends such as Lita and Michelle McCool, among other stars from the past, will be making their in-ring returns in the multi-person match. Meanwhile, current top names like Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair are also set to enter the Rumble this year.

With that in mind, here's a ranking of seven WWE women — from least to most likely winners — who are favored to emerge victoriously from the 30-woman battle on January 29. (Potential spoilers ahead)

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#7. Alexa Bliss' chances to enter and win the WWE Royal Rumble match seem slim

While Bliss has not returned to in-ring action, her 'therapy sessions' have been airing on WWE RAW in recent weeks.

The general speculation all over the internet is that she could enter the Women's Rumble and possibly win the whole thing. It would open doors for the former champion to renew her feud with Charlotte Flair on the Road to WrestleMania 38.

However, Bliss' therapy storyline has not yet featured a proper conclusion. Last week, the 30-year-old took to Twitter to hint that her current creative direction is more of a long-term game:

So it does seem like her in-ring return will transpire right after those therapy sessions come to an end. Even if she somehow makes a comeback on January 29, the unpredictable nature of her gimmick could result in a brief stay in the multi-woman contest.

Such was the case last year when many thought Bliss would be a Rumble favorite. However, she entered at No.27 and remained in the bout for approximately a minute.

#6. Paige might return to WWE soon

During the Royal Rumble event two years ago, fans witnessed a WWE legend coming out of their retirement for good. Edge made his in-ring return during the 2020 edition of the match, and Christian pretty much confirmed another wrestling run with his Rumble entry in 2021.

Now, another star from the past could continue this tradition. As per reports, Paige has been cleared for an in-ring comeback and might be a surprise entrant in the upcoming multi-woman contest.

For a top-tier appearance like this one, one naturally assumes that The Anti-Diva is an obvious favorite to win on January 29. However, Paige's potential return may pan out similarly to Edge's 2020 Rumble performance. She might not win but could be part of the 'final four' stage of the bout.

Moreover, her recent Twitter activity suggests that Paige would likely kickstart a storyline with Sonya Deville instead of challenging for the world titles at WrestleMania. Both stars could also have a showdown this Saturday, as Deville recently confirmed her Women's Rumble spot on SmackDown.

Due to the above reasons, Paige's winning chances are not ranked too high up on this list.

#5. A proper WWE run for Lita could start with a Royal Rumble victory

Out of all the legends announced for the WWE Women's Royal Rumble so far, Lita seems to have the best chances of winning the contest. She teased another run as a competitor during a recent SmackDown segment.

Interestingly, Charlotte Flair interrupted that promo, which set up a potential feud down the line. The WWE Hall of Famer executed a Twist of Fate on Flair at the end of the segment, meaning that the two women will likely cross paths at Royal Rumble.

What happens then is a simple guess — Lita eliminates The Queen and potentially wins the 30-woman bout. In 2020, the company pulled off something similar when Drew McIntyre eliminated Brock Lesnar before picking up the victory.

While McIntyre faced Lesnar for the prestigious world title at WrestleMania, Lita and Flair could do the same with the SmackDown Women's Championship at stake this year.

Despite the above parallel, the Hall of Famer is ranked relatively low on this list because higher-ups may want a younger name to win the Rumble. Booking a full-time talent in this scenario would be sensible from a long-term standpoint.

#4. Bianca Belair might become the first-ever woman to win consecutive Royal Rumbles in WWE

We have seen three men win two back-to-back Royal Rumble matches in WWE history — Hulk Hogan (1990-1991), Shawn Michaels (1995-1996), and Stone Cold Steve Austin (1997-1998). As the first Women's Rumble went down in 2018, there have been no multiple winners thus far.

Bianca Belair could be the first woman to win the multi-person contest twice, and that too, consecutively. There is also another compelling reason why she deserves that honor. Many expect Becky Lynch to retain her RAW Women's Championship at the upcoming event, and Belair's potential Rumble win could lead to a huge rematch.

After all, The EST of WWE has been out for revenge ever since her 26-second loss to Lynch at SummerSlam 2021. WrestleMania would be the perfect stage for her to gain payback and reach a full circle moment as far as their feud is concerned.

Belair could also challenge Charlotte Flair instead for a compelling rematch. In this case, both women have fought on RAW and NXT but never during special events. Either way, a second Rumble victory for The EST is a strong possibility.

#3. Sasha Banks is ready to rumble in WWE

Before the latest episode of WWE SmackDown, Sasha Banks was not even predicted to be in the Women's Royal Rumble.

Earlier this month, an official update stated that The Legit Boss would likely be out of action for six to eight weeks when she suffered a foot injury.

While this drastically reduced Banks' chances of entering the 30-woman bout at first, she surprisingly returned on SmackDown prior to the premium live event. Now a confirmed Rumble entrant, the former champion has enough experience to win the whole thing and main event WrestleMania again.

Last year, she headlined The Show of Shows with Bianca Belair and could do the same with Charlotte Flair in 2022. Not only do the two women have a significant history with each other, but Banks vs. Flair was reportedly the original plan for WrestleMania 38 as well.

The only thing holding The Legit Boss back from winning the Rumble would be the obviousness of it all. WWE higher-ups may prefer a surprise entrant to emerge victoriously, such as the following two entries in this list.

#2. Bayley's potential WWE comeback would be worth a Royal Rumble win

Predictions across the internet have heavily favored Bayley to win at WWE Royal Rumble if she finally makes her long-awaited return.

A recent report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggested that the former champion will likely come back on the Road to WrestleMania 38. He added that a potential Rumble appearance from her is not strictly impossible.

A Rumble victory would put Bayley on the same pedestal as two of her fellow Horsewomen — Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. Of course, she has a long history with both women, so a WrestleMania angle with either champion should not be too challenging to build up.

When it comes to long-term goals for WWE, higher-ups need to push charismatic full-time superstars to the forefront, and Bayley certainly ticks those boxes. She earned much acclaim for her entertaining character work before live touring resumed last year.

So whenever The Role Model returns from her torn ACL injury, she could prove to be a dependable talent in the top spot. One can only hope that this journey begins at Royal Rumble 2022.

#1. Ronda Rousey will likely triumph if rumors of her WWE Royal Rumble return come true

Ronda Rousey has not even been announced for the Royal Rumble yet, and she is already the most favored WWE name to win the 30-woman match on January 29.

Multiple reports indicate that the former RAW Women's Champion could appear at the upcoming event. For a crossover star like Rousey to be out of action since 2019, an in-ring return would almost guarantee that she wins the Rumble.

Between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, a title showdown against the latter would then most likely be the path forward for The Baddest Woman on the Planet. While the two women have feuded in the past, Lynch and Rousey could finally get a one-on-one match against each other, something that never happened during the former UFC fighter's original WWE run.

Indeed, the story writes itself, and Royal Rumble would be an excellent stage to kickstart that buildup. And even though there are more than seven favored candidates for this year's Women's Rumble, none can top Rousey's winning chances as of this writing.

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What are your predictions for the 2022 WWE Women's Royal Rumble match? Sound off in the comments section below.