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This year's Women's Royal Rumble match, though not as good as the previous editions, was a decent outing, with the right outcome. Bianca Belair was the heavy favorite going into the PPV, and she expectedly came out on top after last eliminating fellow NXT alumnus Rhea Ripley.
She is possibly heading towards a highly-anticipated match against Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37. The two can legitimately steal the show if given the right time and position on the card.
On the other hand, the Royal Rumble bout also featured some surprise returns, with Torrie Wilson, Victoria, and Mickie James making appearances. Though none of them could score an elimination, they played their role well. NXT Superstars like Dakota Kai and Toni Storm, too, made their presence felt, though they had a relatively shorter stay in the match.
Alexa Bliss had a shockingly dismal performance at the Royal Rumble as she was eliminated in just over a minute. Apart from that, Lana made her return to in-ring action and got her revenge over Nia Jax after eliminating her.
Former NXT Women's Champion scored the most number of eliminations in the Women's Royal Rumble match.
Rhea Ripley entered the match at No. 14 and instantly made an impact by running through several competitors. Accumulating a total of seven eliminations, Ripley was the most dominant performer in the match. Eliminating big names like Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss, the former NXT Women's Champion finished as the runner-up.
The interactions between Ripley and Bianca in the final minutes were electric and teased a future one-on-one clash between the two.
The Royal Rumble match also showed how much faith the WWE creative has in her, and she's sure to find herself in a prominent position heading into WrestleMania 37. A collision with Alexa Bliss might make sense, as The Goddess might come chasing Ripley as she eliminated her in virtually no time.
The second highest eliminations in the bout were scored by Shayna Baszler, who entered the match at No. 6 and threw six participants over the top rope. She was eventually eliminated by Nia Jax, her tag partner, who entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 29.
While it was not on the level of her last year's performance, where she eliminated eight participants in just four minutes, she was nevertheless booked strongly here. She may find herself in the RAW Women's Championship picture or possibly turn on her partner after she betrayed her.
