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WWE Royal Rumble 2021 - Women's Royal Rumble Match
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Since 2018, the Women's Royal Rumble Match has brought a lot of happiness and joy to the fans as more of a celebration of how far the women have come. The 2019 edition was used as the coronation of Becky Lynch, while 2020 had Charlotte Flair embarking on the path to reclaim the NXT Women's Championship. The 2021 event allowed WWE to create a new star.
The phenomenal roster of female competitors was on display in the Women's Royal Rumble Match and was wonderfully positioned to show the variety. The first three of Bayley, Naomi, and Bianca Belair set a strong base for the latter heights of this bout. Naomi looked great, and she brought us the first surprise of this contest, but there would be more.
Shotzi Blackheart, Dakota Kai, and Toni Storm from WWE NXT made their presence known during the Women's Royal Rumble. The legends were here in the form of Torrie Wilson, Alicia Fox, and Mickie James. Alicia Fox would win the 24/7 title during the match. However, Victoria was an underrated gem in this contest with the former WWE Women's Champion working hard in 15 minutes.
Billie Kay gave us our first narrative thread and was hysterically using her headshots to recruit help in the match. Her alliance with the returning Jillian Hall gave another surprise return, her IIconics reunion with Peyton Royce was nice and her fond attempts to impress Riott Squad made her endearing. She really shined at WWE Royal Rumble 2021.
There is a lot to say about Rhea Ripley's performance. The former NXT Women's Champion came in at #14 and dominated for over 33 minutes. She had the match-high 7 eliminations, which also second-most in the history of the Women's Royal Rumble. Ripley even got revenge on Charlotte Flair by eliminating her with Bianca Belair.
The EST of WWE put in an Iron Woman effort, setting the Women's Royal Rumble record for match time with 56:52. Bianca Belair was involved in a lot of interactions with Bayley, Naomi, Shayna Baszler, and others. Her athleticism displayed and allowed her to evade elimination on many occasions.
Belair's final sequence with Rhea Ripley was splendid and really helped elevate this entire match. The future of WWE was given the final two and had to have fans on the edge of their seats. This felt like one of the rare times where either winner would have been a satisfying pick. Belair's victory felt deserved and earned for her amazing effort here. Her post-match promo was the perfect cherry on top.
Star rating: ****
