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At this weekend's Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Bianca Belair made history when she won the women's match from the number three spot. Over the past few weeks, the SmackDown Superstar had emerged as a top star, especially during her feud with former Women's Champion Bayley.
During the Royal Rumble match, Bianca Belair managed to fend off 29 other women, including returning legends and former champions, to win. The star even had a few big moments in the event, one of those being her and Naomi pulling themselves back into the ring after both dangling out head-first, as well the final showdown with runner-up Rhea Ripley.
Bianca Belair made history by being the first African-American woman to win the Royal Rumble and was the first Iron Woman of the match to win, which is an amazing feat.
So far, it is unclear who Bianca Belair will choose to face at WrestleMania. Either way, the WWE Universe will be in for a treat when Belair puts the EST into WrestleMania come the springtime.
Here are five reasons why Bianca Belair won the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble.
#5 Bianca Belair is a fan favorite WWE Superstar
Since her days in NXT, Bianca Belair has been a fan favorite of the WWE Universe. The popular star is possibly one of the most special women on the current WWE roster, mostly down to her powerhouse strength, great promos, and unique look.
Since Bianca Belair moved the SmackDown, her popularity has risen, especially after her performance at Survivor Series and the subsequent feud with Bayley. Fans have praised Bianca Belair continuously online, and this only increased following the debut of her WWE Chronicle documentary.
From the audience reaction on social media, Bianca Belair appears to be on track to be one of the most popular stars in modern WWE.
#4 Bianca Belair could face Asuka at WrestleMania
When Bianca Belair won the Women's Royal Rumble at the weekend, she cemented a shot at one of the coveted Women's Championships in WWE. So far, Bianca Belair hasn't declared who she will face out of the RAW Women's Champion Asuka or the SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks.
As Bianca Belair is currently a SmackDown Superstar, fans seem to be expecting The EST of WWE to challenge The Boss. Still, WWE may throw a curveball and have Bianca Belair go up against The Empress of Tomorrow on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
Royal Rumble winners switching brands isn't unheard of. Becky Lynch, the 2019 Women's Royal Rumble winner, shifted across to Monday nights on The Red Brand. She challenged RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey for the title at WrestleMania 35.
Bianca Belair and Asuka are two of WWE's most popular stars in the women's division, and it would be great to see what they could do together on the biggest night in the wrestling calendar.
Fans haven't seen the pair engage in a one-on-one singles match so far, and it would be great to see the two come together in the near future.
#3 Bianca Belair is well-liked by WWE management and the locker room
After Bianca Belair's WWE Chronicle episode debuted, the star was met with an outpouring of love and praise from her fellow WWE Superstars, including Kevin Owens, Ruby Riott, and Mustafa Ali.
Even WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, who is still an avid watcher of WWE, came forward to heap praise on the EST of WWE after a recent segment on SmackDown.
It is clear from the WWE Chronicle that Bianca Belair is a Superstar highly thought of backstage. Vince McMahon was even shown in a brief segment behind the scenes thanking Bianca Belair for her work on SmackDown and telling the star that she is "bringing the whole package."
Triple H is also somebody who thinks a lot of Bianca Belair and has worked with her during her days in NXT.
In the WWE Chronicle documentary, he was the person who gave Bianca Belair the news of her call up to the WWE main roster in 2020. Following her Royal Rumble win, he took to Twitter to praise the star and declare how proud he was.
#2 Bianca Belair could face Sasha Banks at WrestleMania
Following her Royal Rumble win, Bianca Belair is one of the hottest stars in WWE right now. It makes sense that, being a SmackDown Superstar, Bianca Belair would choose to challenge Sasha Banks, the Women's Champion of the Blue Brand.
Fans have not yet seen Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks come head-to-head in WWE in singles competition, but it is clear that the two could do something very special if they were given the chance at WrestleMania 37. The pair have previously worked together in tag team action, and displayed great in-ring chemistry.
In recent interviews, Bianca Belair has claimed that her dream match would be to headline WrestleMania against Sasha Banks. The EST of WWE made history as the first-ever African-American woman to win the Royal Rumble since the women's equivalent began in 2018.
Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks facing off for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of WrestleMania would be the first time that two women of African-American descent have headlined the event, which would another record-breaking moment in the career of both stars.
#1 Bianca Belair is an up-and-coming star that WWE want to push
Over the past few years, fans have been critical of WWE's recent product for overlooking new talent like Bianca Belair in favor of prioritizing the stars of yesteryear or giving opportunities to the same few over and over again.
With Bianca Belair's win at the Royal Rumble, WWE is showing that they are investing in fresh, up-and-coming Superstars. Bianca Belair was been on WWE's main roster for less than a year, and despite coming close on numerous occasions, the popular star is yet to win a title in the company.
As well as building Bianca Belair as one of the potential top stars of WWE, Rhea Ripley was also cemented as one of the next big things in WWE. The young star the most eliminations of the entire night at just 24 years old, despite not yet appearing as a RAW or SmackDown Superstar.
Hopefully, Bianca Belair's Royal Rumble win means that WWE is becoming more invested in the future stars of the company, and is looking ahead rather than back at the past.
