Back in July, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that WWE was considering a women’s Royal Rumble match for the 2018 Royal Rumble PPV. Then came last week, when the women’s divisions of both Raw and Smackdown got an infusion of new blood from the return of Paige and the arrival of NXT call-ups Mandy Rose, Sasha Deville, Ruby Riot, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan.
With each brand’s women beaten down by an invading goth-brawler-blonde trio, many fans speculated that this was the beginning of the build to that Rumble match. Luckily, the waters have not been made any less muddy by the dreaded conflicting reports.
Dave Meltzer recently said on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE has no plans for a women’s Rumble. Meanwhile, UK news source The Sun says that WWE is not only planning the match, they’re on the verge of announcing it will happen. The Sun also insinuates that the planned women’s Rumble would have different rules than the men’s Rumble, which might essentially make it a battle royal with the Royal Rumble branding.
The Sun is regarded by many as an extremely unreliable source, but at the same time, Meltzer’s not always as spot-on with women’s division news as he is in other areas of WWE. So maybe an announcement will come soon, but on the other hand, maybe it won’t. Stick with us for further updates on things that may or may not occur!
A women’s Royal Rumble match sounds fun, but on the other hand it’s hard to imagine how much time they’d actually get on a show that will also feature the always-lengthy men’s Royal Rumble match. Currently there are 22 active women on the main roster, but if you leave out the two Women’s Champions and Lana, that’s only 19.
But there’s always space for a surprise return or two (surely at least one Bella Twin will be involved), plus appearances from NXT women and maybe a Mae Young competitor or two. Fortunately James Ellsworth and Santino Marella are gone from the company, so the entrants are all likely to be women (please, Tyler Breeze, say no if asked).
If it does happen, it will be interesting to see how the first Women’s Royal Rumble match is booked. And if it doesn’t, maybe we can speculate about it happening again next year.
