10 Women We Forgot Were In The Royal Rumble
The Women’s Division having their own Royal Rumble match every year added another strong layer of excitement to the PPV. Fans now get treated to two Rumble matches as the most exciting match concept each year. Both battle royals have equally important prizes since the women now have a chance to main event WrestleMania as well.
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The history of the Women’s Rumble match winners currently features top names Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair. However, quite a few performers flew under the radar due to not having a major role in the match or on the brand. WWE tried to bring in NXT talents and legends to add surprise elements for each match. Despite the concept only being introduced in 2018, there were plenty of entrants in this all-female match that has gotten forgotten.
10 Torrie Wilson
WWE went hard with the legends appearing in the first-ever Women’s Rumble match in 2018. The idea made sense to celebrate the past, present, and future of women in the company during such a historic match.
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Torrie Wilson made her mark in the match with a huge ovation for her surprise appearance. The prime run of Wilson never saw her that strong in the ring while preferring to manage wrestlers, so her elimination came within a few minutes after the fun moment of the surprise.
9 Shotzi Blackheart
2020 was a great year for Shotzi Blackheart breaking out as one of the top new stars for NXT. Blackheart will likely be involved in many future Royal Rumble matches, but she has already appeared in one Rumble match before establishing herself.
The entrance in the 2020 match saw Shotzi as the 26th entrant who spent about seven minutes in the match. It showed that Triple H had huge plans for Blackheart in NXT by making her one of the representatives on the biggest stage.
8 Mighty Molly
WWE turned back the clock by having Molly Holly return in 2020 for the Women’s Rumble match with an old gimmick. The superhero character of Mighty Molly was used during the Invasion storyline as part of a pairing with The Hurricane.
Molly was the third entrant and instantly made the Rumble a fun time with the loud ovation. WWE didn’t book women’s wrestling as strongly during Molly’s time and she deserves all the acknowledgements today for helping the changes take part slowly.
7 Kacy Catanzaro
Kacy Catanzaro is one of the most underrated women on the NXT roster today. The great athleticism of Catanzaro made her an exciting part of the 2019 Rumble match attempting to avoid elimination on a few occasions.
WWE has a strong roster of women and Kacy is one that found a way to stand out in a huge match before most fans knew of her. Catanzaro lasted about 10 minutes in the Rumble before getting eliminated by Rhea Ripley.
6 Mercedes Martinez
The signing of Mercedes Martinez made her one of the most respected veterans on the NXT roster. Mercedes received a huge opportunity in 2020 when making a surprise appearance in the Rumble match.
The duo of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville eliminated Martinez after about seven minutes in the match. Mercedes still benefited from being one the surprise entrants in the Rumble. Unfortunately, the rest of the year has not worked out after the main roster run with Retribution ended quickly.
5 Maria Kanellis
WWE did not use Maria Kanellis as a wrestler during her most recent run with her husband Mike Kanellis, but she had a few match appearances. The 2019 Royal Rumble women’s battle royal saw Maria making a surprise appearance.
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Few fans viewed Kanellis as a serious threat to win the match, but the surprise provided some fun during her entrance. Maria lasted about eight minutes in the match before she was eliminated by Alicia Fox.
4 Jacqueline
One of the bigger surprises of a legend entering a Women’s Rumble match featured Jacqueline appearing in 2018. The time in the match only saw Jacqueline there for about two minutes before being eliminated by the dominating Nia Jax.
Jacqueline received a strong pop as one of the women who had not wrestled for WWE in a very long time. The Hall of Famer made the most of her short time in the match as a respected talent getting a chance to shine in the spotlight one more time.
3 Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai is one of the most talented women representing NXT with many standout performances since turning heel. The 2020 Women’s Rumble match saw Kai entering the match as a surprise entrant representing NXT.
Kai was eliminated about a minute and a half into her entrance before getting the chance to leave an impact. The success in NXT since this night will likely lead her back to future Rumble matches when called up on the main roster.
2 Vickie Guerrero
The success of Vickie Guerrero as a heel personality made her a strong part of the show. Guerrero never wrestled, but she thrived in the roles of an authority figure, manager, and love interest in various storylines with top talents.
WWE wanted to make Vickie part of history when having her appear in the first Women’s Rumble match back in 2018. Guerrero was eliminated by all the other women in the ring after trying to get heel heat on the microphone.
1 Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green has struggled to find a role in WWE since signing as a top free agent. NXT did not spotlight her for too long as she always seemed bound for a main roster call-up. Green had her biggest appearance to date in the 2020 women’s Rumble match.
The time in the match was less than stellar as Green was eliminated after just 12 seconds by Alexa Bliss. Green seemed ready for a main roster call-up after appearing on SmackDown in November, but she suffered an injury. Time will tell if Chelsea is involved in the 2021 Women’s Rumble match.
