'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Even though he wasn't the odds on favorite to win the men's Royal Rumble match, when Drew McIntyre emerged as the victor in the contest, not a lot of people were very surprised. The build for Drew McIntyre has been steady and constant, and one felt that it was only a matter of time before he earned his coveted opportunity.
And in the case of The Queen, even though she's one of the most celebrated WWE Superstars of all time, a lot of eyebrows were raised when she won the Royal Rumble this year. A segment was announced on RAW, where she would come out and announce her WrestleMania opponent.
Except she did not and instead put on quite a fantastic match against Asuka. So, why is WWE making Charlotte Flair delay her big announcement?
I have a few theories and I invite you to chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
#5 To not give away both announcements on the very same show
In the case of Drew McIntyre, it was pretty clear who he was going to challenge from the moment that he stepped out from behind the curtain.
We had all seen his little scuffle with Brock Lesnar during the Royal Rumble and the fact that it was him that eliminated Brock Lesnar pretty much assured us that they would be tussling at WrestleMania. But in the case of Charlotte Flair, her pick is not nearly as obvious.
And this is why I personally believe that McIntyre revealed his choice on the RAW that followed the Royal Rumble but Charlotte Flair has chosen not to do so, at this point. Why give away two major plots on the same show, when you can stretch out a storyline for a few weeks, huh?
#4 There may be yet another title change on the road to WrestleMania 36
One assumes when the Royal Rumble is done that the winner will be facing one of the two Champions, at the time. However, WrestleMania is a long time away and the nature of WWE is such that title changes can happen at a moment's notice, on a pay-per-view, on WWE RAW or SmackDown or even at a Live Event.
So maybe Sasha Banks ends up defeating Bayley and becoming the new SmackDown Women's Champion after turning on her best friend. Or maybe The Man loses her title to a returning Nia Jax who shows up to continue the storyline she embarked upon with Becky Lynch when she broke her face.
And if the rumors are indeed true and Charlotte Flair will be facing someone in NXT, maybe Rhea Ripley does not hold the title for much longer either. The fact of the matter is that Charlotte Flair may just be waiting for a title change to happen before she names her eventual WrestleMania opponent.
#3 To actually bolster the women's tag team division for a little while
Asuka has been absolutely incredible over the past few months, during her feud with Becky Lynch, reminding us why she was protected so strongly during her NXT run. Kairi Sane has been more of a sidekick to her but has held her own under the bright lights of WWE RAW.
But lest you forget, Asuka and Kairi Sane are the women's tag team champions and this is a division that has been almost forgotten, in my opinion. The best way to make the division relevant and interesting again may involve including Charlotte Flair in it, possibly by having her team up with someone like Natalya or even Sarah Logan.
Sarah Logan and Charlotte Flair had a mini-feud not long ago, and this could be used as a catalyst to have them come together for a brief tag team run. Because if this is not the plan, I don't see the point of the Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka match on RAW this week.
Before she makes her decision, The Queen could certainly help in rebuilding this division. Yes, that rhymes.
#2 To swerve the audience by challenging Rhea Ripley
The legendary Dave Meltzer recently gave us a glimpse into the upcoming WrestleMania card, and one of the matches he spoke about was Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley, in what could be considered the ultimate swerve. This ties in with NXT rising from the status of WWE's developmental brand to something that is at par with RAW and WWE SmackDown. You can check out the rest of the card in this article.
So, while the world wonders whether Charlotte Flair will face either Becky Lynch or Bayley, Charlotte Flair can choose to challenge Rhea Ripley while Becky Lynch goes on to face the Submission Magician, Shayna Baszler.
This makes all the sense in the world because it will elevate NXT from the status of WWE's third brand to something that is at par with RAW and SmackDown. In fact, if I were booking the event (and I am not), I would personally have Charlotte Flair lay down for Ripley to create a brand new star at WrestleMania.
#1 To have Flair show up on every brand on the road to WrestleMania
As with any TV show, WWE would want to dramatically extend this storyline in the best possible manner so that there are multiple surprises on the road to WrestleMania this year. So, you can have Bayley knock off a certain opponent and have Charlotte Flair jump her from behind on WWE SmackDown while Becky Lynch engages in a mini-feud with Charlotte Flair on RAW.
And while the WWE Universe is kept guessing with regard to whom Charlotte Flair is going to end up facing, Flair could just show up unannounced on NXT and challenge Rhea Ripley to a WrestleMania match. If this is the case, it will be a total hit and in an age where every WWE move is predictable, it would be a genuine swerve.
WWE sometimes plays out Money in The Bank cash-ins far too quickly, in my personal opinion at least. Stretching out a storyline is the best way to get the viewer invested.
Unless it involves Erick Rowan and a mysterious object.
