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This year's Royal Rumble was unexpected, to say the least as we saw Bianca Belair winning the Women's Royal Rumble match and Edge overcoming the odds in the Men's version. This was the Rated-R Superstar's second Royal Rumble win.
Belair created a record by entering at No. 3 and going on to win the Women's Rumble match. Both Edge and Belair lasted nearly an hour and became the respective Ironman/Ironwoman of their matches as well.
It was a great night for NXT at this year's Royal Rumble. Superstars from the black and gold brand made their mark in both the matches. There were some standout performances by the NXT Superstars.
Both the Royal Rumble matches were filled with multiple appearances from WWE NXT Superstars. Here is a compiled list of all of them, in case you missed any.
All NXT Superstars who appeared in the Royal Rumble matches
The Women's Royal Rumble started with Bayley and a returning Naomi kicking things off. The longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion got her fair share of competition from Naomi but it was the women from NXT that got the chance to shine.
Since 14 Superstars from RAW and SmackDown had already announced themselves for the Rumble match, 16 spots were left to be filled.
While the Royal Rumble is a good showcase for legends and Hall of Famers to make a surprise appearance, the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble had its fair representation of women from the Black and Gold brand. A total of six NXT Superstars were involved in the match. The list is as follows:
- Shotzi Blackheart
- Toni Storm
- Santana Garrett
- Rhea Ripley
- Dakota Kai
- Ember Moon
The first NXT Superstar to enter the Royal Rumble was Shotzi Blackheart, but Shayna Baszler quickly eliminated her from it.
The Queen of Spades is presently a member of the RAW roster and also regained the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships along with Nia Jax from Charlotte Flair and Asuka during the kick-off show.
While there were other women from NXT who got the opportunity to show their mettle at the 2021 Royal Rumble, no one came close to Rhea Ripley. The former NXT Women's Champion entered at No. 14 and had a tremendous outing.
The Nightmare eliminated seven Superstars and was among the final three Superstars along with Charlotte and Bianca Belair. She joined hands with Belair to eliminate The Queen and it came down between the two of them.
Eventually, Belair who entered at No. 3, outlasted 29 other Superstars and eliminated Ripley to win the Rumble which is the biggest achievement of her WWE career.
The Men's Royal Rumble on the other hand only had Damian Priest representing the NXT brand. The former North American Champion entered at No. 14 and lasted for quite a long time.
Priest had one of the most impressive outings in the Men's match as he eliminated four Superstars. The Archer of Infamy also had a remarkable stand-off with Kane who entered at No. 18 and became the one to eliminate The Devil's Favorite Demon.
Priest would be then eliminated by the United States Champion Bobby Lashley shortly after.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
