Multiple surprises are set for the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match, this Saturday (January 27). So far, WWE has only released the names of seven of the 30 competitors for the match. This leaves plenty of room for surprise appearances. Here, we take a look at who could be one of the surprises set for the Women’s Royal Rumble, plus who might win it.
Surprises for the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble
Who is in the Rumble?
The seven women already announced for the Royal Rumble are Rhea Ripley, Shayna Baszler, Emma, Liv Morgan, Candice LeRae, Raquel Rodriguez, and Zelena Vega. Ripley and Morgan are the two most likely to win the match based on how they are presented on TV. Ripley has had a fantastic year since joining The Judgement Day and would be a good pick to win.
Massive names not announced that almost certainly will be in the match are Bayley and Becky Lynch. The two women had their cage match cut from Raw is XXX this week, so expect the crowd in Texas to be vocal in their support of these women.
Surprises for Women’s Royal Rumble Entrants
Gone are the days when WWE fans would be happy with a well-structured Royal Rumble made up from its current roster. We want surprises. Surprises we think might happen. Surprises we’ve heard will happen. Surprises we never anticipated could happen. We are chasing the high of Rumble moments such as Edge’s return or AJ Styles’s debut.
So what surprises for the Women’s Royal Rumble might happen?
Mickie James
Last year’s inclusion of then-IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Mickie James was very cool. It showed WWE wasn’t afraid to have a performer contracted from another company in the Rumble. She entered with the championship belt and her IMPACT theme.
She’d be a good shout for another appearance this year.
Chelsea Green
Green has been sharing several clips from her previous Rumble appearance in 2020 on Twitter lately. She also closed her OnlyFans account which is an app WWE isn’t keen for its performers to have.
Since she was released from WWE in 2021, Green has been massive with appearances in the National Wrestling Alliance, IMPACT Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, and Ring of Honor. Add to this the rumor her husband, Matt Cardona, will appear in the Men’s Royal Rumble, and she’s a safe bet.
— CHELSEA GREEN (@ImChelseaGreen) January 20, 2023
Jordynne Grace
James’ appearance proved WWE is willing to do business with IMPACT. If it was looking for a surprise entrant from IMPACT, it could do no better than Jordynne Grace.
She’s from Texas. She has an incredible look. She’s done no business with All Elite Wrestling, so she won’t be on the verge of signing there. Grace has also recently undergone a body transformation. This is something Gunther did before debuting on the WWE main roster, so perhaps this would make her more appealing to WWE.
— Jordynne Grace (@JordynneGrace) January 22, 2023
Jacqueline Moore
From Texas, tick! Hall of Famer, tick! That’s a big reaction almost guaranteed should Jacqueline come through the curtain. She appeared in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018, so she would be a good addition again.
Naomi
This has to happen. Naomi and Sasha Banks walked out of WWE in May 2022 due to creative differences. Banks has since debuted in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as Mercedes Mone. Naomi is still listed as a member of the WWE roster. Surely WWE will have seen the sense to not only make amends with Naomi but to treat her with more respect in the future. If she returns, she may win.
Naomi is related to Nia Jax and Tamina through her marriage to Jimmy Uso. If these two women also made surprise appearances in the Rumble, they could be heavy backup to help Naomi get the win.
Roxane Perez
Roxanne Perez is the current NXT Women’s Champion, so it would make sense to give her her first taste of main roster action in the Rumble. Guess where she’s from? Texas.
Surprise Entrants We Can Expect
There are 22 active women on the WWE main roster not including the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champions Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Thus, any unannounced woman would technically be a surprise.
From this pool, we can expect to see Lacey Evans make her much-hyped re-debut, Doudrop appear for the first time since September, and Ronda Rousey return for the first time since she lost the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Flair.
Sorry, Who is Winning?
Fair question. Despite little to no build, there are many potential winners. If all of the above happens, Rhea Ripley, Naomi, and Ronda Rousey could all get the win. Bayley or Becky Lynch are also good bets, but it’s more likely they will eliminate each other and continue their feud.
Rodriguez is also appearing in her home state, which could also make for a feel-good win.
Ripley is owed a big title match against Charlotte at WrestleMania after COVID-19 meant her shot came in an empty Performance Center. Rousey and Flair also have beef that WWE would probably want to mold into a WrestleMania main event.
Then there’s the prospect of Naomi winning the title from Belair or Charlotte at WrestleMania 39. Presumingly Naomi is a fully-fledged member of The Bloodline by then too.
Photo Credit: World Wrestling Entertainment
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this report and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
