Since 2018, WWE has been producing two Royal Rumble matches. No longer was the Royal Rumble the domain of the male wrestlers. The female talent was finally given some love and their own rumble contest.
The women of WWE were more than up to the challenge and for six years have been putting on phenomenal Royal Rumble matches. Even going so far as to overshadow the men’s matches several times.
Like the men’s matches, winning the contest is the ultimate goal, but holding the title of ironwoman is right up there. It signifies faith in the office and is a title every wrestler strives for. Throughout the past eight years, there have been some great ironwomen showings at the Royal Rumble. They are ranked below.
Top Ironwomen Performances in Women’s Royal Rumble
#9 – Ember Moon 52:10 (2019)
It seems as if every woman was going to be given a shot to run long in the 2019 Royal Rumble, but did they need to? In the case of Ember Moon, absolutely not. Moon was a star on the rise. She had the talent to succeed and now all she needed was that star-making moment. It could have come with the 52 minutes that she spent in the 2019 Royal Rumble but there wasn’t much done. She accounted for zero eliminations and very few great moments to set herself apart. Not a very productive time spent in the Royal Rumble.
#6 – Natayla 56:01 (2019)
Natalya is a legacy within WWE. She comes from the legendary Hart family and has been one of the longest-tenured wrestlers on the roster for years. Still though, her appearance at the 2019 Royal Rumble, while fun, didn’t need to last as long as it did. Nattie was a great idea to come out early. Her music gets a pop, and the fans wouldn’t turn against her. But there needed to be something more for her to do. Over 56 minutes, she was responsible for knocking two women out of the match, both of which happened within the first 15 minutes. Not much to celebrate there.
#7 – Naomi 61:03 (2024)
Naomi making her return to WWE was a fantastic moment. It is the exact type of story WWE loves to tell, and it got that desired pop from the Tropicana Field crowd. The audience was buzzing when she made her way to the ring, but that buzz died down quickly. Naomi was great in the rumble. She matched up well against the big stars. She had her share of history with various wrestlers, but not much was played off of that. Most of her hour-plus time, in the match, was spent in the corners not making any highlights. It’s just not something you want to see from someone who is in the match that long.
#6 – Liv Morgan 61:01 (2023)
Liv Morgan was a star on the rise coming into the 2023 Royal Rumble. She always had the look, but her character and in-ring work improved significantly. Morgan was on the cusp of doing something great, and her endurance run was the exact moment she broke through. Morgan was very active during her run. She locked horns with everyone and spent very little time resting around the ring. She showed the great shape that she was in and had everyone in the arena believing that she could win the match. Her final back-and-forth with eventual winner Rhea Ripley was one of the best finishes in rumble history, while also foreshadowing the eventual rivalry between the two women.
#5 – Sasha Banks 54:46 (2018)
For one of the best ironwomen performances in Royal Rumble history, one looks no further than the inaugural one.
Sasha Banks was the perfect choice for number one. She had the swagger and athleticism to go far, like a Shawn Michaels if you will. She had a history with many women who were going to be coming into the ring and could run through any spot that was required of her. Banks did a great job of making sure everyone had their chance to shine. Banks only had three eliminations but those were of Trish Stratus, Bayley, and Vickie Guerrero. If you’re only going to have three, those are a great trio to have. Also, two of her eliminations came at the end of the match. This means she kept plenty in the tank after fighting for over 50 minutes.
#4 – Charlotte Flair 50:01 (2019)
Charlotte Flair is the measuring stick for most talent in WWE. The Queen has been at, or near, the top of the card for the entirety of her WWE career and almost everything she does carries a sense of importance. In the 2019 Royal Rumble, Flair racked up an impressive five eliminations over 50 minutes. She was by far the best performer in that match. She lent an air of importance to everything she did, and every woman who stepped in that ring wanted to get their shot at The Queen. She was the measuring stick for everyone and to last as long as she did with that big of a target on her back was an amazing thing.
#3 – Bianca Belair 56:49 (2021)
The lack of an audience always hurts this Royal Rumble, and it’s a shame because no one was in attendance to see Bianca Belair’s incredible endurance run for the Royal Rumble match.
Belair was fantastic throughout her 56 minutes spent in the ring. Her power matched up well against everyone and she was the focal point of some incredible spots. Her rivalry with Bayley was a nice addition and allowed for some great wrestling to take place amongst the chaos. Bianca Belair and Ric Flair, at the time, were the only two wrestlers to win the Royal Rumble from the three-spot. The similarity of their performance is astounding as they were active the whole time and were involved in a great finishing sequence. It was a night of memories for the winner of the Women’s Royal Rumble.
#2 – Rhea Ripley 61:00 (2023)
Honestly, the 1 and 2 positions on this list could be considered 1A and 1B. Both broke the hour barrier and won the match but one lasted two minutes longer. That’s how close these performances are.
Rhea Ripley was an absolute beast during the Royal Rumble. Entering in at number one she took on everyone and everything that they had to throw at her. She was physical with just about every woman who entered the match. There was no resting for Ripley, and she didn’t shy away from any confrontation. Ripley was also responsible for seven eliminations throughout the Royal Rumble. For someone to last that long and have the strength to toss seven women over the top rope says all we need to know about The Eradicator.
#1 Bayley 63:00 (2024)
Bayley narrowly edges out Rhea Ripley at the top of the list, but their performances can draw a lot of parallels.
Bayley was the epitome of endurance for the Royal Rumble. Entering in at number three she worked her way through 29 other women en route to winning the match. As a babyface, she had no time to pull rest holds and she was forced to fight her way to the top of the mountain and fight she did. She threw seven women over the rope on her way to winning, which would be a huge feat for anyone, let alone the woman who prevails at the end of the night. They were also very well spread out which means that when there was action going on Bayley was in the middle of it. She proved to the world just how great she is.
2025 will bring a chance for possibly another woman to join this list of Royal Rumble ironwomen. Only time will tell.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on the Women’s Royal Rumble and its ironwomen 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.
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