WWE Royal Rumble: Rhea Ripley Wins Women's Battle Royale
Following Cody Rhodes's amazing victory in the Men's Royal Rumble Match for 2023, once again earning his name as the "American Nightmare" by taking down Intercontinental Champion Gunther and securing a title match at WrestleMania. Now, it's time for the female superstars of the WWE to shine, with the Women's Royal Rumble crowning its winner. Rhea Ripley was able to claim victory, and considering she was the first to enter the squared circle, her win was all the more impressive.
The Women's Royal Rumble match began with Rhea Ripley, with the dark-haired superstar facing off against the second female wrestler to enter the ring, Liv Morgan. Of course, thanks to the assault from Beth Phoenix earlier in the night during the Men's Royal Rumble match, the member of Judgement and mentor to Dominik Mysterio wasn't at one hundred percent. Dana Brooke joined the fray as the third entrant, followed quickly by Emma and Shayne Bazzler, with none of them being eliminated when Bayley joined the battle royale. Ironically enough, the seventh female wrestler, B-Fab, only lasted thirty-six seconds, becoming the first superstar eliminated.
For quite a while, there weren't many eliminations when it came to the Women's Royal Rumble match, though Dana Brooke became the next head on the chopping block when Damage Control was able to overpower her and toss her over the top rope. Stalking the ring as a trio, Bayley and her partners was a tough act for anyone to take on. As the night progressed, Asuka was able to make a splash thanks to a wild make-up job that brought back her "Kana" persona, which was originally concealed by a new mask and entrance theme to accompany her.
The night saw some WWE superstars make a comeback, with the likes of Raquelle Rodriguez and Piper Niven entering the ring. Michelle McCool herself even jumped into the fray, despite the fact that she was sitting in the audience throughout the night. The match even saw Zelina Vega strutting in wearing an outfit straight out of the Street Fighter franchise, with Vega dressed as Juri as a part of an official Street Fighter 6 crossover.
The night also saw the surprise return of Nia Jax, who was the thirtieth female wrestler to enter the ring. With everyone teaming up on Jax, Rhea Ripley was able to deliver the blow to take her down, as it took eleven wrestlers to throw Nia out of the ring to eliminate her. The final three that made up the Royal Rumble Women's match was Rhea Ripley, Asuka/Kana, and Liv Morgan, making for an explosive ending to the battle royale, especially when Asuka delivered a cloud of blue mist to Morgan's face.
Eventually, Rhea Ripley was able to win the night, becoming the victor and heading to WrestleMania as a result.
If you need a refresher on the matches taking place at tonight's Royal Rumble, here's the breakdown:
- Men's Royal Rumble Match
- Mountain Dew Pitch Black Match: Bray Wyatt vs. LA Knight
- Raw Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Alexa Bliss
- Women's Royal Rumble
- Undisputed Universal WWE Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens