WWE announced that for the first-time ever, the women will get their own Royal Rumble match at the 2018 ‘Royal Rumble.’

It was unknown how many women would appear in the Rumble at first. Most assumed they wouldn’t get the same amount of entrants as the men (30), but the early word is that they will get 30 spots in this year’s Rumble.

The WWE’s RAW & Smackdown Live brands don’t have anywhere near 30 women on those rosters, so there will be some surprise performers getting in the match. I assume NXT may get a couple spots. but this list will not try to guess those. There are plenty of young, talented ladies down there in NXT and those who aren’t signed, but appeared in the ‘Mae Young Classic’ last year, will end up in this match.

We made a list of some former WWE women superstars (or divas) that could appear as a surprise entrants in the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble…and the likelihood of their appearance.

Lita – She still has a relationship with the WWE as she helped call last year’s ‘Mae Young Classic’ and has made a few appearances here and there. She’s clearly still in shape and this is almost a no-brainer if they want to make this feel special. (Probability – 9.9 out of 10)

Trish Stratus – You can’t bring up Lita’s name without bring up the possibility of Trish Stratus appearing at the Rumble. She had a baby ten months ago and since she does yoga all the time, she looks fantastic. She isn’t pregnant at the moment, so there isn’t that hurdle to stop her. Trish hasn’t been around in awhile, so if her music hits, it would be a surprise. Her inclusion is probable, but not as high as Lita. (Probability – 8.5 out of 10)

A.J. Lee – Out of anyone on this list, I feel that A.J. would get the biggest surprise pop. She was the second-longest Divas champion and held the title multiple times. She released a book last year and it did very well (it is now even being developed for television). Her husband is CM Punk and WWE/Punk is in the middle of lawsuit. I know A.J. still worked for WWE after Punk walked out, but I doubt A.J. would work for a man (Vince) who fired her husband on her wedding day. (Probability – .01 out of 10)

Nikki Bella – She was the longest-reigning Divas champion and is engaged to John Cena…she’s getting in this damn Rumble match. (Probability – 9.9 out of 10)

Brie Bella – Brie and Daniel Bryan gave birth to a baby girl last year and she has recently been hitting the gym hard. She has been working in the ring with Bryan and has said she wants to come back for a run with her sister. It would make sense that she could appear in the Rumble with her sister and get some sort of storyline going for some sort of tag match at Mania. (Probability – 9.9 out of 10)

Kelly Kelly – There were rumors that she was in talks with WWE around ‘Wrestlemania’ last year and would be returning last Spring. I guess those were just rumors and there haven’t been much talk about her at all since. She is going through a divorce, so that could have halted whatever deal they were working on. She signed with WWE when she was 19 and she will only be turning 31 later this month. I could see her come back again at some point, so her inclusion wouldn’t surprise me at all. (Probability – 8 out of 10)

Torrie Wilson – Torrie was my absolute favorite during the Monday Night Wars. I knew from the moment I saw her in the Miss NWO pageant that she would be a star for WCW. She was was of the few women in WCW to make the jump to WWE and had a lot of success. She was never very good in the ring, but you don’t need to be very good for a battle royal. She has a fitness business and is still stunning. I don’t know if she stays in contact with WWE anymore. I never see her name for random wrestling appearances. I would love to see her there, but this hurts her chances. (Probability – 4 out of 10) 

Eve Torres – Torres is a jiu-jitsu instructor at her husband’s Gracie Dojo. She has put on seminars at the WWE Performance Center in the past. I know she has made a few appearances here and there at charities through the WWE since she left to focus on starting a family. She has had a few kids and stays in great shape thanks to teaching BJJ. She is a three-time Divas Champion and it would add some prestige to the match. (Probability – 6 out of 10)

Michelle McCool – Since she is The Undertaker’s wife, McCool is always around for big events. She hasn’t stepped in the ring since she retired or even made an appearance on camera for WWE. It would surprise me if she appeared in this match. She’s still active and is in killer shape, but I don’t know, I think she’s just done with the wrestling thing. (Probability – 2 out of 10)

Beth Phoenix – I wouldn’t have thought she would be very probable until they announced that Beth Phoenix will be on the announce team for the ‘WWE Mixed Match Challenge’ show on Facebook. She’s had a couple kids with former WWE Superstar Edge and has been hitting the gym often (I noticed via her Twitter). I think the fact that she’s doing some announcing makes it more probable now. (Probability – 7 out of 10)

Kaitlyn – I love following Celeste Bonin on Instagram. She’s beautiful, funny and she has even started to get back into wrestling. She left WWE on good terms a few years ago after getting engaged and then married. She is now divorced and has her own clothing company. I would love to see Kaitlyn make an appearance…and for it to lead to a full-time gig. (Probability – 5 out of 10)

Molly Holly – The next couple are from around the same era. I’m not sure if wrestling is even something they think about doing anymore. Molly looked great at last year’s Hall of Fame ceremony. I’m sure she could go in there for a few minutes and get dumped out without hurting herself. I’d love to see her, but I don’t know if they would have her in mind. (Probability – 2 out of 10)

Ivory – Her name has been spouted about recently as someone who could be in this year’s Hall of Fame class. That might increase her chances of getting in the match, but remember, she was in the original G.L.O.W. television show in the 80’s. She’s 57 years old and I’m not sure how much WWE wants to see someone her age go over the top rope. I’d give her about the same shot as Molly. (Probability – 2 out of 10)

Victoria – She’s actually still wrestling and just had a match with Candice Michelle at a House of Hardcore event in Wisconsin late last year. There was once talk of the WWE trying to re-sign her back when the brands first split, but nothing came of it. She can still move and looks great, so I think there’s a good shot. (Probability – 6 out of 10)

Candice Michelle – The match she had with Victoria was billed as her retirement match. She hasn’t wrestled much at all since leaving WWE, so it was pretty much a way to go out near her hometown. There’s always a chance I guess, but I doubt we will see her. (Probability – 1 out of 10)

Jacqueline – I’m not sure if she still takes bookings to wrestle, but I know she was within the last couple years. I’d be curious to see her in the match, but I think she’s in the Molly Holly range. She isn’t very active on social media, so I can’t get a good feel on what she’s doing right now. (Probability – 2 out of 10)

Melina – She was once one of the better women workers during her time in the company. She held the belt a few times, but she was a heat magnet in the back. She didn’t get along with many people in the back and nearly torpedo’d her former boyfriend John Morrison’s career. I know there was talk about maybe bringing Melina back a few years ago, but nothing came of it. She’s still in shape and looks like she could go, so you never know. (Probability – 3 out of 10)

Kharma – Awesome Kong isn’t under contract to anyone right now. She recently appeared in the Netflix show ‘GLOW’ as a female pro wrestler. She has trimmed down quite a bit, but if you put her old gear on her, she could be made to look bigger. Someone like Nia Jax could get ‘the rub’ if she throws out someone like Kong. If WWE wants her, I’m sure she’d do it…but not sure how much they want her, but it would make sense. She has made appearances in the men’s Rumble in the past. She could be the first woman to appear in both. (Probability – 7.5 out of 10) 

Maxine – Oh, how I love Karlee Perez. I first fell in love with her as Maxine on a season of WWE NXT (when it was a competition show). That season also had A.J. Lee and Kaitlyn. She asked for her release after not doing much after NXT, but went on to do other things. She re-appeared in wrestling as Katina on ‘Lucha Underground’. She’s still under contract and it looks like they will be taping a new season sometime this year, so there’s no chance we will see Maxine at the Rumble. (Probability – 0 out of 10)

Stacy Keibler – After retiring from the ring, she went onto date George Clooney for a few years, and then ended up settling down with a real estate tycoon and had a baby. She’s been a ghost on social media the last couple years as she is wanting to focus on staying out of the limelight. There’s no shot she’s in the Rumble. (Probability – 0 out of 10)

Tiffany – Taryn Terrell had a few great matches in TNA against Gail Kim, but hasn’t done much wrestling in a few years. She had a short stint in the ‘Global Force Wrestling Era’ of TNA (which lasted about six weeks), but left as soon as Jeff Jarrett was booted out of the company. She’s not under contract to anyone and is in shape. I don’t think WWE views her as a wrestler since she was mostly just a GM on television for them. I wouldn’t mind seeing her, but there are better options. (Probability – 3 out of 10)

Christy Hemme – She was a mainstay in TNA after she left WWE. She didn’t do much wrestling for TNA and was mostly just an announcer and had creative influence at one point. She just gave birth to QUADRUPLETS, so the odds are zero and zilch. (Probability – 0 out of 10)

Emma – She was just released and her 90-day non-compete isn’t even over. It’s way too soon for something like this. I’d LOVE to see her in the Rumble, but there’s such a small chance of it happening. (Probability – .5 out of 10)

Summer Rae – She was released in the same wave as Emma, so I don’t believe we will see her. I doubt Summer will even step foot in the ring again. She seems to have her eyes set on something other than wrestling for quite awhile now. (Probability – .5 out of 10)

Eva Marie – This one is interesting. There’s not a high chance of it happening, but could you imagine the kind of HEAT pop she would get as a surprise entrant? There’s been enough time since her release that it could work. I would love to see it, but I highly doubt we see her. (Probability – 2.5 out of 10) 

Gail Kim – This would get a pretty big pop. Gail Kim had what most would view as a failed run in the WWE. She didn’t get pushed and kind of just stayed on the same level the entire time on the main roster. She will go down as one of the best women wrestlers of the modern era, but it was a shame she didn’t have much success in WWE. Kim retired from wrestling late last year, but it would be cool to see her make an appearance in the Rumble. I would selfishly want her to win the whole thing and let her wrestle Charlotte at ‘Mania. I would love to see that one so bad. (Probability – 3,5 out of 10)

Bull Nakano – Yes, THAT Bull Nakano. I’m only adding her to the list due to seeing a recent picture of her. I didn’t even recognize her since she lost so much weight. There’s almost zero chance she will be in the Rumble, but it would be a fun moment. I know there are so many women on the current roster that idolize her. Paige’s submission finisher was borrowed from Nakano’s WWE run. Nakano hasn’t wrestled in 20 years due to injuries, but man, it would be an awesome pop. (Probability – .1 out of 10)

Stephanie McMahon – I don’t see Steph getting in this match unless she plans on wrestling at Wrestlemania. She wouldn’t be winning the Rumble, so she would be setting up a storyline for Mania. If she appears, I think we will end up seeing the next lady as well. (Probability – 6 out of 10)

Ronda Rousey – She has been working out at the WWE Performance Center. They have plans for somewhat immediate plans for her, but are those plans for the Rumble or closer to Wrestlemania? I think she’ll end up in this match…and she could possibly even win it. (Probability – 9.9 out of 10)

James Ellsworth – There was a rumor that Vince wanted Ellsworth to face Charlotte at Wrestlemania for the women’s title. I’m not making this up…I’m really not. I guess the storyline was proposed that Ellsworth would claim to be transgender. I’m glad this storyline didn’t move forward, but you know Vince still has this crazy idea in the back of his head, right? You know he thinks about this when he can’t sleep. This is why I think he will make an appearance. He was the guy who grabbed the briefcase for Carmella in the first-ever women’s Money In The Bank match. It would be a very ‘Vince thing to do’ if he had a guy win the first women’s Rumble as well. (Probability – 7 out of 10)

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.