Predicting the Final 4 of the Women's Royal Rumble Match

After the excitement around last year's historic Women's Royal Rumble match, the second match will have a lot to live up to. We were treated to some returns from veterans like Michelle McCool, Lita and Trish Stratus as well as surprises from the likes of Kairi Sane and Vickie Guerrero.

If there's anything we should expect from this year's match it is that the WWE will want to do whatever it can in order to up the ante for the 2019 match. Last year's event also marked the official WWE debut of current Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey. Some felt that her appearance somewhat took away from the moment that should have belonged to Asuka.

But as things stand now, I think Asuka isn't too angry since she now holds the Smackdown Women's Title. She won't win a second rumble match but may defend the title at the event.

Last year's final four consisted of Nikki and Brie Bella, Sasha Banks and eventual winner, Asuka. Here are my predictions for who will be a part of the final four in the second Women's Royal Rumble match in history.

#4 Mandy Rose

This one might be a little confusing to some since she's still relatively new to the sport. But a few things lead me to believe she might be one of the last women standing come the end of the match.

One reason is that she has been given more time on the mic during the women's segments on Smackdown Live. She led the heels when they confronted Paige about getting more opportunities and she has been a part of segments on Smackdown Live lately.

Another factor is that recent reports suggest that Vince loves her and wants to give her a huge push. He sees her as what 'Emmalina' was supposed to be. Emma wasn't really suited for the gimmick but Rose certainly is.

We've seen her try to seduce Jimmy Uso and she won a match with the Miz against the Fabulous Truth a couple weeks ago.

Vince loves gorgeous blonde women and Rose epitomizes that trope. Even though there are some others who probably deserve the push more, don't be surprised if Rose is one of the final four or if she starts to get a huge push soon.

#3 Ember Moon

Ember Moon is still treated like one of the top women on Raw.

Ember Moon is, just like the rest of the faces on the Raw roster, one of the many women who haven't had much of a chance at the Raw Women's Championship due to Ronda Rousey's immediate push upon her debut.

'The War Goddess' was one of the stars in NXT and a lot was expected from her once she joined Raw. She has still been booked near to the top of the division but since Rousey is the top dog in the division, her championship opportunities haven't been many.

She's clearly someone who can carry the division in the future and is someone who should have a good run in the rumble match. She's towards the top of the pecking order on Raw, thus necessitating a substantial appearance at the Royal Rumble.

Moon should make the final four, but with Lynch and Flair being the favorites, she will likely have to keep waiting to get a title shot. Perhaps she gets moved to Smackdown in order to face a familiar foe who is currently holding gold . . .

#2 Charlotte Flair

The Queen will always be either champion or in the hunt of whichever show she is on.

When the favourites were released last week, it wasn't a surprise to see Charlotte Flair listed as the top contender. She'll probably win one rumble in her future in order for WWE to pad her already bloated resume.

She's the second most-protected women in WWE behind Rousey and she was allegedly 'promised' a main-event slot at Wrestlemania. While the crowd is hoping more for Becky Lynch to win in order to challenge Rousey at Wrestlemania, Charlotte has been rumored to be involved as well.

Vince loves her and will continue to push her to the moon regardless of whose expense it comes at. I'm not trying to discredit any of her achievements or her ability. It's just that she needs to step aside for a while in order to help grow the rest of the division.

She's the female Roman Reigns, and if you don't believe that, why else would she already have seven title reigns in just four years on the main roster?

If Becky doesn't win, expect the Queen to get what she wants again. She's going to win one at some point, but hopefully, it won't be this one.

#1 Becky Lynch

The Man will be looking for more gold in the future or revenge on Ronda Rousey.

While Lynch isn't the betting favorite, she is the sentimental favorite and the best logical choice to win the second-ever Women's Royal Rumble.

She needs to get to Wrestlemania to face Rousey somehow, and the Royal Rumble match is the best way to do it. They may always just have Lynch straight up challenge her but a rumble win would be the right reward for her carrying WWE in the latter months of 2018.

If the McMahons were serious about changing things up in their 'New Era', then rewarding someone who has carried the women's divisions to a new level would be a proper step.

Lynch vs. Rousey is one of the few matches that could legitimately close out Wrestlemania 35 and the time for that match happening is in April. WWE must strike while the iron is hot rather than give Flair another shot at someone she's already faced.

If Flair does win, it's just a sign that some of the promises they made were hollow. Sure, Becky has received more opportunities than say, Ember Moon, but Lynch was on fire this year and should rightly win the match. Don't be surprised if she and Flair are the final two combatants.

Honorable Mentions:

Banks and Stratus had a showdown in last year's rumble.

The potential for a surprise in the women's final four is less likely than it is in the men's Royal Rumble match. There are more surprises for who could win like John Cena, the Rock or even Shawn Michaels. I can't really think of any plausible surprises in the women's match that could win outside of Stratus and hopefully not a Bella.

I don't think Shayna Baszler would win, but an appearance certainly isn't out of the question. WWE's plans for her will revolve around when they have her drop the NXT Women's Title and when they want to pull the trigger on the feud between the two factions of Horsewomen. If they want to do it sooner, then Baszler could easily appear and last till the end.

Sasha Banks had a long run in the match last year but still isn't treated like a top member of the division. She's likely headed for a Women's Tag Team Title match of some form at Wrestlemania, so I don't think she'd win. She could make it to the final four though.

Trish Stratus will probably be in the match again since she's still in pretty good shape. She's probably the most revered female legend who can still lace up her boots. If she does make it to the final four, she'd be a threat to win it all. Whomever eliminates her might also set up a feud for April. Perhaps her and Lita face Bayley and Banks at Wrestlemania 35?

Nia Jax will always be treated as a physical threat to win battle royals just like the Big Show. But rarely do those types of superstars win rumbles. She can easily make the final four, but physically large superstars are often eliminated by scores of wrestlers. She'll likely be treated like a threat but she probably won't make it to the end.

And someone who has been treated like one of the top heels for the women on Raw, Ruby Riott could be a dark-horse to reach the final four. She's more than capable in the ring and will be a future champion.

I don't think she'll win the whole match but she's also one of the few women on the roster who could be a threat to either Asuka or Rousey at Wrestlemania. She's also an underrated talent that might be getting more of a push once she's finished tormenting Natalya.

Who do you think will be the final four women in their second rumble match?