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It’s the morning after the night before and all we keep hearing is that Ronda Rousey debuted last night following the Royal Rumble main event. While that may indeed be the jaw-dropping moment that people remember for years to come, we’d like to draw some attention to the actual women’s Rumble match itself.
From start to finish it was an entertaining contest, with many familiar faces coming back in order to be involved with the history-making event. Sure, there were some botches from time to time, but that’s always going to be expected given that they’re not used to this kind of match-up.
Five women, in particular, stood out above the rest over the course of the near-hour long bout, and thankfully for fans of the modern day, none were part-timers.
With that being said, here are the five longest runs in the women’s Royal Rumble.
#5) Carmella – 18:45
The Princess of Staten Island had an odd evening last night during the first ever women’s Royal Rumble, because when you analyse the evidence, she didn’t really do all that much. After being clocked from behind by Vickie Guerrero she proceeded to stay in the match for nearly 20 minutes, but she didn’t actually pick up any eliminations.
That probably fits in with her character’s narrative quite well, especially seeing as she’s the current Money in the Bank contract holder, but you would’ve thought that she’d get one or two eliminations in at the very least. Still, she’ll probably have a featured spot on the road to WrestleMania, so it’s not all bad.
#4) Asuka – 19:41
Asuka will challenge for either the Raw or SD Live Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34, and doesn’t that just feel right? The Japanese sensation tore through the opposition last night and finally captured the victory by last eliminating Nikki Bella, in a result that many fans were hoping for at the Wells Fargo Center.
She may not have lasted as long as the male winner, but Asuka was certainly able to leave an impression when the Rumble went off the air with the introduction of Ronda Rousey being a big reason for that.
While it may not be Ronda that she faces off against at Mania she’s still going to be in a big-time match, and now, we know that she can handle the pressure of being on a stage like that.
#3) Natalya – 25:34
Given how long she’s been a part of the women’s roster in WWE, it only made sense for Natalya to play a prominent role in the first ever 30-woman Royal Rumble match. She managed to clock in a solid 25 minutes worth of action, which included three eliminations and a fascinating segment with her former partner Beth Phoenix.
Nattie gets a lot of grief from fans when it comes to her personality and promos, but she proved us all wrong last night when she was able to tell an engaging story that grew organically. She may not be the best all-around performer on SmackDown Live and her recent title reign wasn’t even all that great, but she’s certainly got some gas left in the tank.
#2) Becky Lynch – 30:54
Interestingly enough Becky Lynch stated in a WWE YouTube video a few days back that she’d love to be the number 2 entrant in the Rumble, and last night her prayers were answered. Becky had the unenviable task of starting from the front alongside Sasha Banks, and for the most part, the duo did a solid job of getting the match going.
She may have only ended with two eliminations but that’s still more than most, and Lynch seems to be growing in confidence with each passing day. She has one of the best personalities out of anyone in the entire WWE right now, and that will likely take her a long way.
Just make sure she gets a match on the Mania card, please.
#1) Sasha Banks – 54:46
Sasha Banks was the iron woman of the 2018 Royal Rumble, in a stint that was equally as impressive as Finn Balor’s. While she was never considered to be a favourite in the match, Sasha still wanted to prove that she could mix it up with some of the names from the past and present – and she accomplished that goal.
Banks will be dying to edge her way into a prominent spot at Mania, and given the amount of potential singles matches being thrown around for the women, it’ll be interesting to see where she ends up.
Banks hinted at a heel turn towards the end of the Rumble match when she began to turn on Asuka, so perhaps we’re in for a showdown with ‘best friend’ Bayley in New Orleans.
