While women have always been part of the Royal Rumble event, right from the start (the Jumping Bomb Angels took on the Glamour Girls at the very first Rumble), the women having a Royal Rumble match of their own until 2018. The historic first-ever match was won by Asuka, padded with a third of the field being legendary ladies, and then slightly overshadowed by the debut of Ronda Rousey.
The next Women’s Rumble didn’t have any homages to the past. Somewhere in between those two extremes lies a healthy medium of legends that can surprise us the 2020 event. Here are five female legends we'd love to see in a Royal Rumble event, and five we'd rather not.
10 Want: Paige
It happened for Daniel Bryan, right? Fans can dream? In a perfect world, Paige, the first NXT women’s call up would be right in the middle of the Women’s Evolution right now instead of Renee Young’s sidekick on WWE Backstage. If she is—or might—plan a comeback, it probably wouldn’t be anytime soon, but it would be a welcome surprise for this year’s or any year’s Royal Rumble.
9 Don’t: Kelly Kelly
...And the award for the Diva that is the easiest on the eyes goes to... Kelly Kelly! The stunningly beautiful Kelly Kelly made a name for herself thanks to those looks.
While she did work hard in the ring, she was never tasked with being able to put on the kind of matches that today’s Women love to put on. She would get a decent pop and might not be so lost in the ring. Yet, the Women’s Evolution has passed her by.
8 Want: Bull Nakano
As far as legendary wrestlers go, let alone women’s wrestlers, Bull Nakano might be the biggest name. In the mid-nineties, Alundra Blayze helped bring the Japanese wrestler to the states and she was able to have terrific matches with Blayze in WWE and again with Madusa in WCW.
She was the innovator of the most devastating submission move seldom used, the Scorpion Crosslock (or Paige PTO), and her unique look would have plenty of old-school die-hard fans go banana to see her.
7 Don’t: Debra
Did the former Mrs. McMichael and Mrs. Austin ever even wrestle a match that didn’t involve showing off her body? In all fairness, Debra’s role during the Attitude Era was to stand there and show her “puppies” off whenever it might help benefit Jeff Jarrett to win the match—it got Jerry Lawler over instead of Double J. While she played her role perfectly and exercised plenty hard to look great, her appearance would just be a waste of a spot.
6 Want: AJ Lee
With her husband at least back hovering around the wrestling world and stirring the pot, AJ Lee bursting out of Gorilla at this year’s Rumble would ignite the crowd with a humongous ovation not just for her but for Punk, as well. Thanks to her levels of insanity, it would be easy to have her head in as a surprise and get started on a feud with fellow crazies like Asuka or a returning Liv Morgan.
5 Don’t: Trish Stratus
Yes, plenty of fans would drool at the mere opening giggle of Trish’s theme song, and it is always a welcome addition to any show she’s a part of. Still, didn't she literally just work her retirement match several months ago? Not that anyone actually stays retired in wrestling, but, at this point, her return would just seem like a cash grab for her instead of a genuine interest in returning. Plus, she was the thirtieth entrant in the 2018 match, let some other ladies have a chance to surprise the fans.
4 Want: Stacy Keibler
At the first Women’s Rumble, Stacy’s bestie Torrie Wilson showed up and better than ever! In the time that Keibler has left WWE, she dated George Clooney and was part of Dancing With The Stars.
Like a lot of Attitude-Era Divas, Keibler learned the basics and wasn’t asked to work much harder than that. However, she’s also one of the few ladies who has seldom come back for any kind of guest spot. It’s about time for the Weapons Of Mass Seduction to make their presence known.
3 Don’t: Sable
Mrs. Brock Lesnar showed the world that you could be beautiful, and, if you catch the eye of a writer, that writer could help propel you to superstardom. Yet, even though Sable had McMahon and Russo solidly behind making her incredibly famous, she wasn’t very good in the ring at all.
Putting her in the ring with the likes and skill level of the Four Horsewomen, Nattie, or the Riott Squad would be a bad use of Sable’s talents. The WWE Universe would be happy to welcome her back, just not in the ring.
2 Want: Victoria
For whatever reason, Victoria is one of the few women who hasn’t been welcomed back with open arms. Meanwhile, she’s also still one of the best workers in the industry. But, if that’s the brass’ decision, that’s certainly not the fans. If “All The Things She Said” began to ring throughout the arena, the WWE Universe would lose its collective mind as Victoria tweaked out stomping to the ring.
Victoria can still hold her own in the ring and could have great exchanges with anyone on the current roster. Perhaps even to stare down with AJ Lee in a battle of who is a bigger nut.
1 Don’t: Sunny
Sunny has always been seen as the original Diva. Yet, her in-ring skill was simply never anything she needed to work on. Her job was to simply be amazing looking and a vixen who preened around the ring. Any fan who was coming of age when Sunny sauntered around the ring knows full well that the Hall Of Famer succeeded in doing her job perfectly. Still, none of those fans—or any other ones, for that matter—would want to see her in the ring.