Charlotte Flair predicts a surprise entrant in the 2021 WWE Women's Royal Rumble

Charlotte Flair believes Rhea Ripley could make an appearance in the 2021 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match.

One year ago, Charlotte Flair won the 2020 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble. She went on to defeat Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36.

Speaking in a WWE media call, Charlotte Flair was asked to name some top contenders ahead of Sunday’s WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match. She name-checked Bianca Belair, Bayley, and Shayna Baszler, as well as her WrestleMania 35 opponent.

"I think every year the Royal Rumble gets more difficult due to how deep and experienced the division gets. Now you have Bianca Belair on SmackDown. Now Bayley doesn’t have a title, so she’ll be in the Royal Rumble. RAW side, you have a repeat, Shayna, and then I don’t know whether or not she’ll be entering, but I could see Rhea Ripley making a surprise entrance."

🖤 pic.twitter.com/ypb9hwknmp

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) January 11, 2021

Charlotte Flair clarified that WWE still had lots of depth in its women’s division heading into the 2020 Royal Rumble. However, she thinks there are a lot more realistic contenders to win the women's match this year compared to 12 months ago.

Charlotte Flair’s WWE Royal Rumble match history

Charlotte Flair won the 2020 WWE Women's Royal Rumble

Charlotte Flair did not participate in the 2018 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble because she held the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the time. In 2019, she lasted 50 minutes before finishing as the runner-up to Becky Lynch. The 2020 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble ended with Charlotte Flair eliminating Shayna Baszler to win the match.

In 2021, Charlotte Flair will defend the Women’s Tag Team titles with Asuka against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. She will also enter the 30-woman Royal Rumble match.

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