WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Predicting the women's final four

Sequels are often hard to top, but with the year WWE's women have had, it's hard to imagine the second edition of the women's Royal Rumble failing at all. A stellar match, this time filled with champion caliber full-time women ready to take over, as they fight to not only win a championship match but possibly main event WrestleMania for the first time ever.

That verbiage has flown everywhere from commentary to the mouths of superstars. WWE is going all in on the women's evolution, and an opportunity to main event WrestleMania could add just the perfect wrinkle to the whole thing. It makes it that much more important for the final four of the match to make it epic and incredible.

With the stakes high, the iconic final four of the Royal Rumble can provide a fascinating direction not just for the main event of WrestleMania, but also for the rest of WWE's women's division for the year, especially as they continue to dominate the headlines and the main events.

---

The story of the Rumble

A money match guarantee

The sophomore effort at the Royal Rumble for the women's division seems like a sure thing. Despite Becky Lynch being pre-occupied with a title match, it'd be silly to consider for the company if she weren't part of the match, winning it to set up the rumored main event of WrestleMania against Ronda Rousey (maybe with Charlotte in tow).

It's fascinating to note that WWE's allusions to not just Ronda's battles with the two women, but a full-blown four horsewomen feud is playing over at the Rumble, as she takes on Sasha Banks. It's this that will then be the primary storyline of not just their match, the WrestleMania main event (if it comes to fruition), but the Royal Rumble match as well.

It shall showcase the full-blown rift between Charlotte and Lynch that has defined WWE's past year, and also bring in a bunch of fringe elements to the question. This then will form the final four of the second edition of the women's Royal Rumble as we shall see.

---

#4 Bayley

Bayley's showcase will return her to the big dance next year!

Despite being the focal point of the NXT's Four Horsewomen storyline, Bayley is undoubtedly the pony-tailed stepchild of the disparate unit. She hasn't had the best main roster run despite breaking Charlotte's PPV win streak and taking the championship at WrestleMania two years ago.

Still, she's vital to the story, especially if by WrestleMania she stands as one-half of the first WWE Women's Tag Team champions.

Bayley is an early entry for the Rumble unlike last year, possibly even clocking the longest time, to give her a believable showcase as a singles star in parallel to Banks' championship shot.

She'll manage quite a few eliminations, not too many though - scanning the ring as an anchor for the match much like Lynch and Banks last year.

Her real face offs will come towards the end, as she squares up against her Four Horsewomen friends in Charlotte and Becky Lynch. However, the big confrontation shall take place against the surprise NXT entry who'll eliminate her, putting into motion 2019's feud of the year between two sets of horsewomen.

Eliminated by Shayna Baszler

#3 Shayna Baszler

Baszler shall become a women's divisions stand out!

Much like last year's Rumble, the NXT's Women's Champion shall enter the Rumble match despite a hectic Saturday against Bianca Belair at NXT Takeover: Phoenix. Flanked by Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, Baszler shall run roughshod over the Rumble contingent in the middle of the match. Her brutish style needling on the just barely surviving Bayley.

With her partners taken out later in the match by Bayley and the other four horsewomen, it will come to a point Baszler takes out Bayley, leaving her with the fractured friendship of Charlotte and Becky Lynch.

A stellar showcase against the two biggest stars of the division ends with Lynch and Charlotte having to team up to take Baszler out.

Despite her own backup, that it eventually took two women to eliminate Baszler shall put her over in brilliant fashion. It will make Baszler a huge threat especially as she moves to the main roster in a post WrestleMania shake-up.

With a couple of eliminations in her pocket, and a two on one elimination, you can imagine Baszler is an important piece to the four horsewomen puzzle.

Eliminated by Charlotte and Becky Lynch

TIE: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

Fight forever

To pretend that Charlotte Flair doesn't deserve to face Ronda Rousey on the biggest stage is silly, to pretend that Becky Lynch isn't going to main event WrestleMania is equally delirious. The very fabric of Charlotte and Becky's feud leads them to Ronda Rousey in the main event of WrestleMania.

Adding Charlotte to the proposed main event is an opportunity to pay off the year-long storyline of Charlotte's needling into Lynch's moments. While Becky winning means she deservedly got in, her method and WWE's insistence that they landed on their feet at the same time shall become Lynch's moment of contention. She'll have won, but Charlotte will get her way.

It'd be the perfect homage to 1994's double winners where WWE had two winners to offset their love for Lex Luger and Bret Hart's incredible rise.

This double win will give us the three prime talents of the women's division in a blockbuster match, but also adds tons of heat to the supposedly entitled Charlotte Flair. WWE lucked out with this arc for Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30, so doubling down on the storyline with Becky Lynch shall get the fans riled up, getting The Man over to conquer not just Flair but the Rowdy One as well.

As for the future beyond, well nothing better than this moment to draw the battle lines between the two versions of the Four Horsewomen for blockbuster main events at SummerSlam and Survivor Series.

Indeed it is time for the women's evolution.

Result: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch both eliminate each other, though a replay shows otherwise. Both women fight to the back, ending the night and the match on a brilliant cliffhanger.