The Royal Rumble is right around the corner, and while the pay-per-view is generally regarded as one of the most exciting of the year, there will be even more to talk about this time around as the women of the WWE will get their own Royal Rumble rules match.
30 female competitors will square off in an elimination-style over-the-top-rope battle royal with only one winner crowned at the end of what will likely be a 60-minute contest. The catch for the WWE is that they don't have 30 female competitors on the active roster to fill this match.
Not counting announcers or out-of-action competitors who are away due to pregnancies, the main roster has about 18 female options to choose from. When you remove the two current champions, you realize there are even fewer women to select from.
So, if the WWE needs a conservative five, maybe as many as ten other women, who could they be? Below are five options that could surprise.
5. Beth Phoenix
She's a part of the Mixed Match Challenge as a commentator and she's realistically one of the more capable former WWE female Superstars who could enter the Female Royal Rumble and not have missed a step. She'd actually be a favorite to go a long way. Phoenix has a huge history in the match itself having eliminated The Great Khali in 2002.
The fact that she'll be around on Facebook leading up to the pay-per-view means the WWE would have to do less promoting to show fans who she is.
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4. Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is one of the most decorated female competitors in WWE history and also a Hall of Famer. She's not only in incredible shape, she might actually be in better shape now than she was as an active WWE talent.
Back when the match was officially announced, she went on Twitter ago and hinted that women could do anything including have their own Royal Rumble match. She hinted that perhaps it was time she finds her boots. If she did enter, she would get arguably the loudest pop of the night.
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3. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
The WWE is absolutely going to need to bring in some of the women from NXT. It's a perfect opportunity to debut new talents as a surprise entrant and something the WWE has been known to do over the past couple years.
The company already got started on this process when they brought up the members of the Riott Squad and Absolution, but conspicuous by their absences were Peyton Royce and Bille Kay. Both would be perfect adds to the match and because the two are attached at the hip, WWE can fill two spots right away. Don't expect them to go far if they do enter.
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2. Lita
There is so much history between the new women of WWE (the women's revolution) and Lita that it would feel like a crime not to include her in the match. In fact, it would make sense to bring her out as entry number one.
She could teach the new generation that the old generation shouldn't necessarily be forgotten and that she still has enough in her to eliminate a few stars. At the end of the day, she'd step aside and get tossed over to be eliminated but she could do some very cool stuff while in the ring.
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1. Stephanie McMahon
The surprise of the night could be Stephanie McMahon coming in at entry number 30. The leader of Raw who was so quick to congratulate the women for making history is the same type of authority figure who would seize an opportunity to steal the spotlight and claim that history for herself.
It would be absolutely fitting if McMahon screwed the women out of their historic moment with no one from the current roster being declared the first-ever winner. It would just add fuel to the fire if she went on to main event WrestleMania.