5 wrestlers who should return in the Women's Royal Rumble

With the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble set to take place in less than a month, it is important for WWE to treat it the same as the traditional Royal Rumble. For the majority of the time, the Royal Rumble match has a few legends coming back as surprises.

The 2015 Royal Rumble saw Bubba Ray Dudley, Diamond Dallas Page, and The Boogeyman make appearances. With the first ever Women's Royal Rumble coming up, WWE needs to establish it as a match of equal importance.

Just like the traditional Royal Rumble, the Women's Royal Rumble should include its own surprises. Here are five women that should appear in the inaugural Women's Royal Rumble match.

---

#5 Kharma

Kharma had a brief stint in WWE

In 2011, Kharma entered the Royal Rumble, being one of the only women in WWE history to accomplish that feat. Given that history, Kharma would make for a logical cameo candidate. There are potential staredown "moments", including Kharma going toe-to-toe with both Tamina and Nia Jax.

The one factor preventing Kharma from being higher on this list is the fact that she only had a brief stint in WWE, so a good chunk of the audience may not remember her. Her run in WWE was cut short as she became pregnant, and then her short contract ran out. The only potential negative to Kharma appearing is that she might dwarf Nia Jax to a degree, but it can still work to Jax's advantage if done right.

#4 Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix recently entered the WWE Hall of Fame

Beth was portrayed as a "dominant diva" for many years, and recently went into the WWE Hall of Fame. Especially after being married to Edge in real life, the two will forever have ongoing ties with WWE. She would only have a history with a few other competitors in the match, but she would likely be remembered enough by the audience.

Beth was one of three women (along with Kharma and Chyna) to ever compete in the traditional Royal Rumble match. In that match, she actually eliminated The Great Khali, which is a video clip that WWE will often show.

#3 Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon is the one who announced the Women's Royal Rumble

This is not necessarily a return per se, but it would be quite interesting. Stephanie entering the Women's Rumble would be highly unlikely, but it would play into Stephanie's "historic announcement" that she made earlier this month.

In 2014, Stephanie had an entertaining program (and match) with Brie Bella, showing that she has the capability to pull off good interactions with some of the current female talents. Many fans online complain that she does not receive proper "comeuppance", but it is hard to do so when WWE does not want any intentional man-on-woman violence. If Stephanie was in the Women's Rumble, it would help plant the seeds for feuds down the line.

#2 Lita

Lita was a pioneer of the women's division

Lita's last wrestled for WWE in 2012, when she defeated Heath Slater on the Raw 1000 episode. Viewed as a pioneer of the women's division, Lita entering the first Women's Royal Rumble would seem fitting. For the most part, WWE tries to ignore women's wrestling in the 2000's. However, they often like to mention Trish Stratus, Lita, and Mickie James.

Trish and Lita were often viewed as "1A" and "1B" when it came to women's wrestling. While an on-air reunion with The Hardy Boyz is unlikely due to the real-life past of Lita and Matt Hardy, fans of Team Xtreme may be clamouring for all three to be back in WWE at the same time.

#1 Trish Stratus

Many view Trish Stratus as an all-time great

Was there any doubt about this one? Between her in-ring skill, presence on the microphone, and looks, Trish is viewed by many as the greatest female talent in WWE history. She had a big retirement match in 2006 and has only been back a handful of times since.

If Trish were to enter the Women's Rumble, there would be a lot of dream interactions such as Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Asuka. On top of that, WWE would be able to continue to go down the path of portraying Mandy Rose as a young Trish Stratus.

It has been almost seven years since Trish last wrestled a match in WWE. Being seen as the one who carried the women's division in the 2000's, it seems like an absolute must for Trish to be in this match.