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This year's WWE Royal Rumble event will feature various Superstars in the Men's and Women's matches.
Just like every year, there are a few stars who will stand out from the pack, regardless of whether they actually win or not. In today's unprecedented times, it will be interesting to find out which WWE Superstars will get an opportunity to showcase their skills in a major way.
Several male and female stars have already announced their entries in their respective Royal Rumble matches. A select few of those candidates could very well win go on to win the entire bout, while others may shine in the spotlight despite being eliminated in the match.
Some stars may have remained unannounced for the Rumble so that they could deliver star-making performances when the viewers least expect it.
With that being said, let's take a look at five WWE Superstars who could have star-making performances at the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
#5 Former WWE NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley recently lost to Raquel Gonzalez in a Last Woman Standing match at NXT New Year's Evil.
Many believe that Ripley could be destined for the main roster on the Road to WrestleMania 37. She is currently one of the fan-favorites to win the Women's Royal Rumble despite not being announced as a confirmed entrant.
Mick Foley recently pitched an idea for Rhea Ripley's Royal Rumble victory in a lengthy writeup. Here is an excerpt from his post:
"Rhea Ripley is still something of an unknown quantity, a secret weapon ready to once again shine on the ground a stage of them all. This time, I hope WWE will choose to strap that figurative rocket onto her back and see if they can launch her into that next dimension."
Rhea Ripley was involved in the first-ever NXT title match at WrestleMania last year against Charlotte Flair. However, Ripley eventually lost to The Queen. Additionally, the absence of a live crowd prevented her from crossing over to the main roster as a huge star.
If Rhea Ripley were to enter the Women's Royal Rumble, she would most likely participate in some impressive showdowns against other major stars from the main roster.
Out of all the potential entrants in the Women's Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley could deliver a star-making performance that may propel her to the next level in WWE.
#4 WWE RAW Superstar Keith Lee
Keith Lee is another WWE Superstar who could impress the viewers in the Men's Royal Rumble match.
The Limitless One has been climbing up the WWE RAW ranks in recent times. Keith Lee fought Drew McIntyre in a hard-hitting match for the WWE title at RAW Legends Night.
While Lee did not beat the WWE Champion, he put on an impressive performance. More recently, Lee concluded his feud with Sheamus after defeating The Celtic Warrior in a singles match.
Keith Lee was one of the only two NXT stars who took part in last year's Men's Royal Rumble match. Lee put on a newsworthy showcase with Brock Lesnar before being eliminated by The Beast Incarnate.
As embedded above, WrestleVotes previously reported that a triple threat match between Brock Lesnar, Keith Lee, and Drew McIntyre was being considered for WrestleMania 37.
The Limitless One could win the Men's Royal Rumble as a result. This way, Keith Lee could also cement his place in the WWE Championship scenario on the Road to WrestleMania.
Even if Lee isn't booked to win the said match, The Limitless One could put on a star-making performance to gain some momentum ahead of The Show of Shows.
#3 WWE SmackDown Superstar Cesaro
WWE tag team stars Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura have received separate pushes as singles stars on the Blue brand.
Nakamura has already won a Royal Rumble match, back in 2018. Moreover, The King of Strong Style's presence in the main event scene in the past has been relatively more prevalent than that of the Swiss Cyborg. This is why it was Cesaro who made this list, and not Shinsuke Nakamura.
The Swiss Superman is an accomplished tag team star in WWE, but he has never had the same impact in the singles division. Things turned around for Cesaro after he recently picked up two consecutive singles victories over Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan.
While it is unlikely that Cesaro will win the Men's Royal Rumble match this year, the Swiss Cyborg has gained enough momentum to put on an impressive performance during the upcoming pay-per-view.
Cesaro's potentially excellent performance at the Royal Rumble could help him enter significant storylines on the Road to WrestleMania 37. Perhaps Cesaro could even make some waves by eliminating Shinsuke Nakamura.
Whatever the case may be, Cesaro is a dark horse who could surprise fans and rise to the occasion at the 2021 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
#2 WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E
In an exclusive chat with SK Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Drew McIntyre picked Big E as the WWE Superstar who could win the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match and face him at WrestleMania.
"Maybe Sheamus or Jinder can pull off the win and get that match. But just watching like both shows right now and seeing where everyone's at, I'm excited to see like Big E finally get on a good roll. And we're showing like his real personality which is amazing and it's so funny and so entertaining. But he's also got that serious side where he flips switches and he can get serious if he's pushed. He's been doing such a great job recently of kind of showing like that whole package and when like he's on his game. In the ring, he's incredible, he's one of the strongest in WWE and that character is unbelievable and it is an extension of his real personality. So he's firing all cylinders right now. So, if Big E was to win the Rumble, he's somebody I'd be very happy to face at WrestleMania."
Big E is currently at the top of WWE SmackDown's mid-card scene as the Intercontinental Champion. The New Day member has often been touted as someone who could eventually dethrone Roman Reigns from the top.
Big E is one of the top fan-favorites who could win the 2021 Men's Royal Rumble match. Even if he doesn't win the said match, Big E's current push as the WWE Intercontinental Champion indicates that he may be one of the best performers at the Royal Rumble.
It would be a star-making moment for the Superstar if he became a part of the final four contestants in this year's Royal Rumble match.
Big E is in a good position on WWE SmackDown right now, but his potentially-exciting Royal Rumble performance could very well make him one of the top stars in WWE.
#1 WWE SmackDown Superstar Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair delivered one of the most impressive WWE Royal Rumble performances last year. In 2021, The EST of WWE could very well go on to win the entire Women's Royal Rumble match.
Alongside Shayna Baszler, Bianca Belair holds the record for the most eliminations in a single Women's Royal Rumble match. Belair has all the attributes to become a successful WWE Superstar.
She is currently involved in a feud with Bayley, and both of them will likely face-off during the Women's Royal Rumble this year.
Bianca Belair has already proven how impressive she can be in a Royal Rumble environment. So if Belair could re-create her performance from last year and perhaps even top it in 2021 thanks to her added experience, the EST of WWE will certainly end up being one of the top MVPs from the pay-per-view.
When it comes to the current landscape of female WWE stars, fans have a lot of expectations from Bianca Belair on the Road to WrestleMania 37. The Royal Rumble seems like the perfect stage for Belair to break out as one of the top stars in WWE today.
