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#2 The Rumble needs all the talent on hand
While the full-time roster on Raw and SmackDown won't be as short as it was last year, there will still be some gaps that need to be filled to make up the full 30 competitors needed for a Royal Rumble match.
Adding Nikki Cross and Lacey Evans, who will soon arrive on the main roster, and subtracting the current champions in Asuka and Ronda Rousey, there would theoretically be 25 women available to compete in the Royal Rumble. However, it's unclear whether Alexa Bliss will be cleared to compete in time, leaving the available total currently at 24.
That leaves about a sixth of the numbers still to make up, so the company will need to rely on some NXT talent and returning legends. The last thing the Rumble needs is to subtract two more from the current total by putting them in title matches. Indeed, that's why there were no women's title matches at last year's Rumble.
It's obviously possible for some people to do double duty, most infamously seen in the case of Roman Reigns, but that's not usually how it goes.
