5 ways WWE can make history with the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match

The 2022 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event takes place on Saturday, January 29. The event is considered one of the most exciting nights on the WWE calendar.

The 30-Woman Royal Rumble match has been confirmed to once again take place at this year's extravaganza. The winner of the over-the-top-rope battle royal will earn a title match against either the RAW or SmackDown Women's Champion at WrestleMania in April.

The company has already announced several key entrants for the women's match. The likes of Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, The Bella Twins, Summer Rae, WWE Hall of Famer Lita and IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Mickie James will all enter the match.

Vince McMahon's promotion made history in 2018, when the first-ever Women's Rumble match took place. Every year with this particular event, something noteworthy is bound to happen one way or another. WWE has a chance once again in the 2022 match-up.

Here are five ways WWE can make history with the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match.

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#5 The first non-full-time WWE Superstar could win the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match

So far, WWE has announced six non-full-time wrestlers who will be competing in the Women's Rumble match.

We saw WWE Hall of Famer Lita appear on the January 14 episode of SmackDown. Her last match with the company was in 2018. She drummed up interest in the match as she wanted "one more run" in the company.

It could be a spectacular moment for the four-time WWE Women's Champion, who re-introduced the Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32, after the company phased out the term "Diva."

There's no forgetting the likes of Michelle McCool, The Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, and Summer Rae, who are not known to have any contracts with the company and will look to add to their legacy.

The company can certainly make history and get the WWE Universe talking if they go down this route.

#4 Charlotte Flair could make double history in the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match

SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair will be entering the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match.

Flair outlasted twenty-nine other WWE Superstars in 2020 to win the battle royal.

After the Rumble victory in 2020, Flair told WWE.com:

"I didn’t see 29 competitors out there, I saw 29 numbers. When they look at me, all they see is the Queen. […] I didn’t really have a strategy. I just went in there knowing who I am, and I’m a winner, and I’m not going to let someone else take my moment ever again." (h/t Sescoops)

Flair surprisingly challenged then-NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley for a match at WrestleMania. She captured the black-and-gold title for the second time in her career.

A win would make history as she would become the first two-time Women's Royal Rumble winner. To add to that, if Flair is still the SmackDown Women's Champion come January 29, she could also be the first as a reigning Women's Champion to win the match.

Double Women's Royal Rumble history could occur in St. Louis, Missouri.

#3 A wrestler using the forbidden door could win the Women's Royal Rumble match

One of the most historic moments that will happen at the 2022 Royal Rumble will be the return of Mickie James. Mickie is a former WWE Superstar, but right now she is the reigning IMPACT Knockouts World Champion.

The company referenced her championship live on SmackDown when they announced her participation. As it stands, she is contracted to IMPACT Wrestling and not WWE.

Mickie spoke to Ariel Helwani about the upcoming appearance and how the deal came about:

"It was a few weeks ago and Scott (D'Amore) had called me first, (...) just to kind of see (...) if I was interested, (...) I think immediately, I was excited because historically this has never happened before (...) for WWE to do this or to have anyone participate in the Rumble, especially to acknowledge the [IMPACT] championship. (...) it just shows a different, I don't know, amount of respect. (...) I feel really great about it."

WWE could instantly make history by having a wrestler use the forbidden door to win a Women's Royal Rumble match.

#2 The first-ever NXT Superstar could win the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match

It has been known since the inception of the Women's Royal Rumble match that NXT Superstars are eligible to appear.

In the first-ever women's over-the-top-rope match, we saw Kairi Sane and Ember Moon make their first main roster appearances.

In recent times, NXT has undergone a rebranding. The show is now known as NXT 2.0 and has a more colorful presentation. Gone are the days of black-and-gold.

An NXT branded wrestler has never won a Women's Royal Rumble match.

Could that all change this year to really give the brand some exposure?

Someone like the NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose would be a viable candidate. The WWE Universe is familiar with her and she is currently excelling in her new gimmick.

If that were to happen, another chapter in the Royal Rumble's history-book would be written.

#1 The winners of the 2022 Women's Royal Rumble match could challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

A number of former tag team partners are entering this year's Women's Royal Rumble match but none are bigger than the Bella Twins.

Nikki Bella, a two-time WWE Divas Champion, has already indicated what kind of history she'd like to make with her return:

"I would kind of like to be the first-ever winner of the [Royal] Rumble, to kind of give the middle finger to both champions and go ‘I want the tag titles.’ Like, how badass would that be? Would I not just be the coolest person to go down in history. I feel like I would have a little Stone Cold Steve Austin to me-esque." (h/t Wrestling Inc.)

Could it be that the winner of the Women's Rumble challenges for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles?

It has never happened before. The championship could do with a new lease of life and this could certainly be the way to do it.

It would add more intrigue to the RAW and SmackDown Championship scenarios as that picture would be left wide open heading into WrestleMania.