Predicting the Superstars that will make up the Final Four of the Women's Royal Rumble match

One thing that is always important in a Royal Rumble match is the combatants comprising the bout's Final Four. It is usually a sign of who WWE may push and who they value. Some big stars get eliminated before the end, like Brock Lesnar did halfway through last year's Royal Rumble. His elimination was the story of the first half and was necessary to write the narrative of having Drew McIntyre win.

The Final Four of any Royal Rumble match is usually filled up with favorites. Sometimes, there's a sentimental favorite among the last competitors to keep the fans interested. But when the final two are stars that always win, the end result isn't usually in doubt. When someone like Santino Marella lasts until the final two like he did in 2011, it's a no-brainer that the other wrestler (Alberto Del Rio in that case) is going to win.

There have only been three Royal Rumble matches for the women, and they were won by Asuka, Becky Lynch,, and Charlotte Flair. With every match, there's usually a select few that would make sense as members of the female Final Four. The likes of Flair and Nia Jax are always considered favorites due to size and standing in the company. Bayley is coming off a record-breaking run as SmackDown Women's Champion and is one of the top women in all of WWE.

Alexa Bliss could also somehow make it to the end, but she hasn't competed much since joining the Fiend. Shayna Baszler was one of the favorites to win last year, but she only made the final two. She did eliminate eight women but was still tossed out by eventual winner Charlotte Flair.

So which female stars will make up the Final Four for the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble match? Here are predictions along with the stars that made up the Final Fours of the last two Royal Rumbles.

---

The last two Final Fours of Women's Royal Rumble

Flair and Baszler were the final two women in last year's Royal Rumble.

2019 Final Four - Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Nia Jax

2020 Final Four - Charlotte Flair, Shayna Baszler, Beth Phoenix, Natalya

As seen by the results of the last two years, Flair has been one of the final four competitors both years. She is pushed to the moon no matter who she is facing but her making it to the end also provides a huge moment for the person who eliminates her.

Lynch was the sentimental favorite during the year she won, and she wasn't even technically in the match. Jax, like the Big Show, is always considered a threat in Royal Rumbles due to her size, but they never win. Last year's Final Four had the Beth Phoenix and Natalya, which was a little disappointing considering almost ten NXT stars were also a part of the match. It was good to see Phoenix get a good run, but Nattie is well past being a credible threat in the women's division.

#4 Rhea Ripley could be part of Final Four of the Women's Royal Rumble

The Nightmare

Depending on what you may or may not believe, Rhea Ripley's Last Woman Standing match might have been her send-off from NXT. Some felt that she was heading to the main roster and into Royal Rumble. She has a built-in feud with Charlotte if the latter wins the RAW Women's title before the Show of Shows.

Ripley didn't appear on the latest episode of NXT as the Dusty Rhodes Classic Tournament began. Raquel Gonzalez addressed the fact that she was the top dog in NXT, furthering speculation that the Royal Rumble may be the next time we see the Nightmare in action.

The Women's Dusty Rhodes Classic could also be another spot where we see Ripley, but if not, she's appearing in the 2021 Royal Rumble. She was already one of the top women on the brand but has allowed others (Dakota Kai, Shotzi Blackheart, and Candice LeRae) to get their shots at the NXT Women's Championship.

If Ripley is in the Royal Rumble, she has to have a great showing. Bianca Belair did so last year prior to her eventual call up following 'Mania. The Nightmare also defended an NXT title at the Show of Shows for the first time in WWE history. That's not something that is done lightly, but it was likely only done because Flair was her opponent. Expect Ripley to have a great showing in the 2021 Royal Rumble.

#3 Nia Jax could be part of Final Four of the Women's Royal Rumble

Nia Jax

As mentioned on the first slide, in Royal Rumble matches, WWE always treats stars the size of Nia Jax\ or the Big Show as huge threats. Looking back at the history of winners, however, doesn't show either winning a Royal Rumbles match.

Big Show has been one of the final Superstars and Jax made the Final Four in 2019. Since she and Shayna Baszler lost the WWE Women's Tag Team belts, they'll likely disband as a team soon. The duo is still appearing as allies on RAW, but their time is running out.

Since Baszler entered last and was one of the last two women in the Royal Rumble last year, she may not have the same luxury in this year's match. It would take more than one star to eliminate Jax but only one to eliminate Baszler. A scenario could play out in the match where one eliminates the other. Since management sees Jax as more of a threat due to her size and pedigree, she'll likely assist in or be the reason for the elimination of the Queen of Spades.

Having Jax last until the Final Four in the Royal Rumble would also make whomever eliminates her a huge babyface. A move like that would give someone new like Ripley or Bianca Belair a huge moment. For that reason, Jax will last until the end.

#2 Bianca Belair could be part of Final Four of the Women's Royal Rumble

Bianca Belair

In last year's Royal Rumble match, Bianca Belair entered second, lasted over 30 minutes and had eight eliminations. Those feats aren't given to just any Superstar. While she didn't stick around permanently until a few months later, it's been clear that the EST of WWE is being groomed for a bright future.

After the 2020 WWE Draft, Bianca Belair has consistently been featured along with the top women on SmackDown. She's teamed with SmackDown Women's Champ Sasha Banks and has opposed Bayley and Carmella. It's clear that she is being built up for a bigger role in 2021 after a rather pedestrian 2020 on RAW.

Since she had such a strong showing at last year's Royal Rumble, the only thing that would top that is lasting longer, eliminating more stars, or winning the whole thing. While she may or may not win the 2021 Royal Rumble, she should certainly last until the Final Four. In order for WWE to build stars - and female stars outside of the Four Horsewomen of NXT - the company needs to allow them to have great showings in important matches. Belair is already a major player on SmackDown, and lasting until the Final Four would be another step up in her career.

#1 Charlotte Flair could be part of Final Four of the Women's Royal Rumble

The Queen

Unless she enters the Royal Rumble match early and is surprisingly eliminated before the end of the match, there is no way where Charlotte Flair doesn't make this year's Final Four. She is booked as the top woman in WWE whether she is Champion or not, and she rarely ever loses. When she does, it's either to set up a brief hiatus (like over the summer/fall of 2020), because she's "injured" or due to outside interference (like on Legends' Night).

She is booked in the same veins as Roman Reigns as the Big Dog was always one of the final three competitors of Rumbles he was in. Flair has been one of the final two Superstars in the match over the last two years. The only reason she wasn't in 2018 was because she was already SmackDown Women's Champion.

By having her win last year's Royal Rumble, WWE booked itself into a corner. Flair had already battled both Champions (Becky Lynch, RAW Women's Champ; Bayley, SmackDown Women's Champ) numerous times. It wouldn't have been a fresh match-up for the Show of Shows. So because of that choice, she challenged for and won the NXT Women's Championship from Ripley.

While she should not win a second Royal Rumble in a row, she will most definitely be one of the final women standing when all is said and done. WWE pushes her to the moon, and since she won the WWE Women's Tag Team titles in her first match back, that push is certainly continuing in 2021.

Flair winning yet again would be a mistake, but she will probably and hopefully be eliminated by the eventual winner. Drew McIntyre eliminated the biggest threat in last year's Royal Rumble match (Brock Lesnar), and his career has skyrocketed since then. That same path could be used for the winner tossing the Queen over the ropes.