Predicting all 30 entrants in the first-ever women's Royal Rumble

As announced by Stephanie McMahon on Monday’s episode of Raw, there will be a first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match in January 2018.

The details of the history-making match have not yet been announced but the assumption is that it’ll be just like the men’s – a 30-person over-the-top-rope Battle Royal with the winner going on to have a one-on-one title match at WrestleMania.

Of course, that presents a couple of issues. There are only 11 women on Raw and 11 women on SmackDown Live, and when you consider that the title holders on both brands are unlikely to feature in the match, that means there are only 20 main roster women who are expected to be involved.

So, assuming the current title holders – Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair – do not participate, here’s who we predict will be among the 30 entrants in the Rumble.

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#30 Possible: Ronda Rousey

As soon as the women’s Royal Rumble match was announced, 90 percent of people had the same winner in mind: Ronda Rousey. The MMA star is a huge WWE fan and is expected to debut for the company in 2018. There would be no better introduction than to have her win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.

#29 Certainty: Sarah Logan (SmackDown Live)

If The Riott Squad was The Shield, Sarah Logan would be the 2012-13 version of Dean Ambrose who kicked and punched anyone and everything that moved. She’ll make a name for herself at the Rumble but won’t be a serious contender.

#28 Certainty: Sonya Deville (Raw)

With an MMA background and a no-nonsense, hard-hitting approach, we can expect Sonya Deville to get a high number of eliminations in the match. She won’t be one of the favourites but if past Royal Rumbles have taught us anything, it’s that people in factions often do well.

Paige will be among the favourites to win

#27 Possible: Lita

If Trish Stratus is involved in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match, then Lita has to appear in it too. The two Hall of Famers were the most popular female Superstars of their generation and paved the way for many of the women who will be in the Rumble.

#26 Certainty: Ruby Riott (SmackDown Live)

Of the five recent women call-ups to the main roster, Ruby Riott is the best in-ring performer and has the best chance of going far in the Royal Rumble. With Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan potentially there to help, expect big things from Ruby at the Rumble.

#25 Certainty: Paige (Raw)

Unless WWE states otherwise, the winner of the Royal Rumble will go on to have a singles match for a Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. Paige has recently returned and is surely in line to have a featured match at “The Show of Shows”, making her one of the favourites to win in Philadelphia.

Mandy Rose (left) and Trish Stratus (right)

#24 Possible: Trish Stratus

One of the biggest inspiration for some of today’s female performers, Trish Stratus last appeared in a WWE ring on Raw in April 2011. She has made regular kickoff show appearances for the company since then and tweeted “where dem boots?” when the Rumble announcement was made.

#23 Certainty: Liv Morgan (SmackDown Live)

The main-roster call-ups for Absolution and The Riott Squad couldn’t have come at a better time. Liv Morgan featured infrequently on NXT television but now she has a huge chance to show what she can do on the massive Royal Rumble stage.

#22 Certainty: Mandy Rose (Raw)

She won’t win the Rumble but Mandy Rose is bound to have a big impact if her Absolution team members are in the ring at the same time. If Trish Stratus is involved in the match, don’t be surprised if the two face off at some stage. Mandy looks scarily similar to a young Trish in some of her pictures.

The Bella Twins are bound to be in the match

#21 Possible: Brie Bella

Brie Bella seemed to officially retire at WrestleMania 32 in 2016. However, since giving birth to baby Birdie Joe in May 2017, she has been targeting a return to the WWE ring. What better time to do it than at the Royal Rumble?

#20 Certainty: Nikki Bella (SmackDown Live)

It was after a tag match between The Bella Twins and Paige & Emma on Raw in February 2015 that the #GiveDivasAChance hashtag began to run wild. Nikki hasn’t had a match since WrestleMania 33 but you can bet your life savings on her making it back for the Rumble.

#19 Certainty: Alicia Fox (Raw)

Crazy? Charismatic? Clueless? However you perceive Alicia Fox, the former Divas champion has carved out a successful career for herself in WWE since debuting in 2008. Will she win the Royal Rumble? Not a chance. Will she cause mayhem? Absolutely.

Mickie James has had a career resurgence of late

#18 Possible: Ember Moon

After a year-long chase for the NXT Women’s Championship, Ember Moon finally got her hands on the gold at TakeOver: WarGames in November. She’ll have a match at TakeOver: Philadelphia the night before the Rumble on 27 January, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appear 24 hours later to make her main-roster debut.

#17 Certainty: Lana (SmackDown Live)

Lana put in much better performances than anyone expected when she faced Naomi for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship earlier in 2017. We see duos fall out as much as we see duos work together in Royal Rumble matches, so expect some kind of shenanigans either way with her and Tamina.

#16 Certainty: Mickie James (Raw)

Mickie James was largely forgotten about when she switched to Raw in April’s Superstar Shake-Up. However, her recent feud with Alexa Bliss has made her more relevant than she’s been in a long time. It’d make a great story if she wins. Don’t count her out!

Michelle McCool is a former Divas champion

#15 Possible: Michelle McCool

An outside bet to feature in the Royal Rumble match is Michelle McCool. The former Divas champion, also The Undertaker’s wife, teased a possible match with Charlotte Flair on Twitter earlier in 2017 and said she’d be “waiting by the phone” if WWE wanted her to face “The Queen”.

#14 Certainty: Naomi (SmackDown Live)

A two-time SmackDown Live Women’s champion, Naomi has been feuding with The Riott Squad in recent weeks and is bound to go head-to-head with them at the Royal Rumble. Expect her to have a high number of eliminations in the historic match.

#13 Certainty: Dana Brooke (Raw)

Many believe Dana Brooke was called up too early to WWE’s main roster when she debuted in 2016. The new Titus Worldwide member hasn’t been given much match time on television recently, so the first-ever women’s Rumble represents a chance for her to prove some of her doubters wrong.

Would WWE dare bring back James Ellsworth?!

#12 Possible: James Ellsworth

James Ellsworth hijacked the first-ever women’s Money In The Bank match and an appearance in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble would cause a major backlash from, well, just about everybody. Vince McMahon loves controversy, though, and you could easily see him bringing the recently released Ellsworth back for one more night to receive finishers from everyone in the ring before being thrown over the top rope.

#11 Certainty: Tamina (SmackDown Live)

Tamina was dominant in both the Money In The Bank and Survivor Series matches in 2017, despite not winning either of them, and we can expect a similar performance from her in the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble. No victory but lots of eliminations.

#10 Certainty: Nia Jax (Raw)

When Kane or Big Show’s music hits in a Royal Rumble match, fans “ooh” and “aah” because they know a bunch of Superstars are about to get thrown over the top rope. The women’s match equivalent to those guys is Nia Jax. Expect her to get the most eliminations on 28 January and, quite possibly, win the match.

Peyton Royce (right) has been making a big impact in NXT

#9 Possible: Peyton Royce

Like her Iconic Duo 'life partner' Billie Kay, Peyton Royce has been in NXT for almost three years and is guaranteed to be on the main roster soon. After losing her recent chance to win the NXT Women’s Championship, her call-up looks set to come sooner rather than later.

#8 Certainty: Natalya (SmackDown Live)

Many people thought we might have seen the last of Natalya when she got on the mic to give an emotional post-match interview after her defeat to Charlotte at Clash of Champions. Instead, she’s now preparing for a Royal Rumble. Will she win? It’s doubtful, but she’ll be there towards the end.

#7 Certainty: Asuka (Raw)

With the Royal Rumble and the Mixed Match Challenge on the way, something tells us Asuka’s undefeated streak is set to come to an end. She probably won’t be pinned or made to submit anytime soon, but be prepared to see the first couple of blots on her main-roster copybook in the next few months.

Carmella is the first Ms Money In The Bank

#6 Possible: Billie Kay

One half of NXT’s Iconic Duo, Billie Kay made her main-roster debut in a match against Dana Brooke on SmackDown in June 2016. She’s remained in NXT since but she’s certain to be called up full-time at some point in the next year. Why not at the Rumble?

#5 Certainty: Carmella (SmackDown Live)

Carmella already has the Money In The Bank contract, enabling her to have a Women’s Championship match whenever she wants, so she doesn’t need to earn another shot at winning a title. Still, two chances at claiming gold are better than one, so expect her to feature in the match.

#4 Certainty: Bayley (Raw)

If a women’s Royal Rumble happened in January 2017, Bayley probably would’ve won it. After a year of mixed fortunes, she’s less likely to win the inaugural women’s match but, as a wise and very rich man once said, “anything can happen in the WWE”.

Sasha Banks was involved in the first women's Hell In A Cell match

#3 Possible: Kairi Sane

Kairi Sane will almost certainly be in action at TakeOver: Philadelphia the night before the Royal Rumble. However, the Mae Young Classic winner is so popular with fans that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her make a one-off main-roster appearance in the match.

#2 Certainty: Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live)

An outside contender to win the Royal Rumble is Becky Lynch. Portrayed as the ultimate underdog, this would be the perfect opportunity for “The Lass Kicker” to make history and go on to have a featured match at WrestleMania, possibly against best friend Charlotte Flair.

#1 Certainty: Sasha Banks (Raw)

Not only is Sasha Banks is a “Legit Boss” but she’s also a legit main-eventer and a future Hall of Famer. She’s certain to be involved in the first Royal Rumble match and will be among the favourites to win the whole thing.