WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson is widely regarded as one of the greatest creative minds in professional wrestling history.
In fact, Dave Meltzer describes Patterson as "one of the chief architects of the WWE, playing an integral role in helping the company become a global phenomenon." Patterson has been the guy who is not afraid to get on Mr. McMahon’s ear and let him know what he thinks, be it popular or not.
Pat has also spearheaded many WWE creative ventures throughout his near 6 decades of being involved in the industry.
However, when it comes to all the ideas that Patterson has brought to the table, his brightest idea came in the late 80s, when he created the event that came to be known as The Royal Rumble.
The Royal Rumble would become one of what we now know as "The Big Four." The Big Four represents the four most prestigious pay-per-view events that the WWE carries on an annual basis, which include Wrestlemania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and of course, The Royal Rumble itself.
Since the inception of the Rumble, it has consistently been one of the most exciting, as well as anticipated events of the year, with the Royal Rumble match being the climax of the event.
Each year, WWE creative officials try to raise the bar from the year before, primarily by using bigger names for the surprise entrants. In the entire history of the event, the Rumble match itself has been a predominantly male dominated contest.
However, there have been a grand total of three female superstars to make an entrance into the Rumble match. But, with that said, the women's talent continues to prove that they are just as good, sometimes even better than their male counterparts.
The way the women's division is evolving at such an astounding rate, it would not surprise me in the least, if the female superstars became more active in the Royal Rumble match in the near future.
When you think about the ladies of wrestling from today, as well as the past, who are some of the names that may come to mind when you consider which of the women's talent could participate in the Royal Rumble match?
Here's a look at five women's wrestlers that I've come up with, as viable Rumble entrants.
#5 Sarah Bridges (Crazy Mary)
For some of the WWE Universe, this may not be a familiar name. Sarah just recently joined the NXT roster when she signed her WWE developmental contract in October of 2016. Prior to joining the WWE family, Sarah made a name for herself as Crazy Mary Dobson.
For those who don't know much about her, the best way I know to describe her for your understanding is to ask you to think of what Bray Wyatt's "Sister Abigail" would look like in the flesh. That image is pretty much what Crazy Mary portrays.
The company landed a jackpot with Sarah. She comes to the WWE with a lot of really good experience, despite only being 23 years old. Sarah has a lifetime of quality years ahead of her, yet will require minimal training.
Sarah is a gritty, relentless, powerful young lady, who also has a great deal of experience with inter-gender wrestling. In fact, she teamed with Mad Man Pondo in 2015, to capture the JCW tag team championship.
It's also worth noting that Sarah is currently in a relationship with Ring of Honor star Ray Rowe. Ray is an incredible talent, as well as one-half of the former ROH tag team champions War Machine.
#4 Beth Phoenix
Beth is currently being rumoured as one of the inductees in this year's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. While that rumour has yet to be confirmed, Phoenix is without question, worthy of being in that prestigious fraternity of legends. She could join her husband Edge in the Hall of Famer and it is surely a deserving accolade.
Known as the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix was as fierce as any women's superstar to ever grace a WWE ring. She was not only highly intimidating but also technically superior in her division.
Also read: 5 Unlikely WWE Superstars who could win the 2017 Royal Rumble
Between her reigns as Divas Champion, as well as Women's Champion, Beth held the top prize in the women's division a total of four times, as well as being named 2008 WWE Diva of the year.
As we've mentioned earlier, there have been three women in history to have competed in the Royal Rumble match... Beth Phoenix happens to be one of the three. She entered the 2010 Royal Rumble match as the number six entrant.
Needless to say, this type of contest is no foreign territory for Beth.
#3 Nia Jax
I'll be the first to admit I was a huge sceptic of Nia Jax when she first debuted in NXT. She just appeared as if she was not improving whatsoever while in Orlando. That's why I was very surprised to see her get drafted to the Raw roster.
However, she did indeed improve dramatically once she landed on the main roster. In fact, I'd go as far as to suggest Jax might very well be the most improved of all the NXT draft picks from last year's brand-split.
Jax might be the only women's star on the active WWE roster who is capable of doing well in an environment as chaotic as the Royal Rumble match. Her massive 6'0", 250-pound frame gives her the advantage she would need when it comes to possibly eliminating one of the male superstars.
Nia currently has other things on her mind, such as continuing her climb to the top of the Women's ladder. But, she could be the one called upon, if they decide to shake things up a bit.
#2 Kimber Lee
Our number two pick is another one some of the readers may not be all too familiar with. However, you certainly will be, in due time. If you recall, there was a video that went viral some time ago, which featured an inter-gender match between Chris Dickinson and Kimber Lee.
While it turned out to be somewhat competitive, Chris caught a tonne of heat for being extremely stiff with Kimber Lee. Throughout the match, Kimber would take some incredibly devastating blows at the hands of her opponent.
Chris would repeatedly deliver chair shots, over and over, until Kimber was a bloody mess. This match would serve as proof that not only was Kimber Lee one tough individual but that she was capable of facing anyone at all in the ring.
Like Sarah Bridges, Kimber has also signed a WWE developmental contract. She made her official NXT debut in December of 2016, but will also likely not need much time with the yellow brand.
#1 Awesome Kong (Kharma)
At 5'11" and nearly 300 pounds, Awesome Kong is probably the most destructive female competitor of this, or possibly any era. Kong is not only intimidating in the ring, but she is incredibly sharp when it comes to her in-ring mechanics.
Plus, let's not forget about those three women who have been involved in the Rumble match. Kong was one of those competitors.
In 2012, "Kharma" was a participant in the Royal Rumble match, coming into the match as the number twenty-one entrant. She even made it long enough to get an elimination under her belt, when she threw Hunico over the top ropes, onto the arena floor. She was eliminated soon after by Dolph Ziggler.
Kong was most recently on the TNA Knockouts roster. However, she was released last year, shortly after a legitimate backstage brawl she had with Reby Sky.
This was not her first backstage altercation. In 2010, popular radio personality Bubba The Love Sponge allegedly made some remarks regarding the Haiti Earthquake disaster. Awesome Kong took exception to those remarks and went looking for Bubba.
She found him, during a set of Impact tapings in Orlando, at which time she apparently roughed him up.
Kong might not be everyone's favourite wrestler, but she is as fearless and dominating as any woman who has ever laced up. If there is a need for a woman's presence in this year's Rumble match, you'll never find one as capable of handling the experience as Awesome Kong.
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