Ranking Potential Surprise Entrants In The Women's WWE Royal Rumble

Will be this finally be the year that AJ Lee makes her long awaited return to WWE?

Will it finally be AJ Lee's year? / WWE.com

It's hard to believe, but the WWE Royal Rumble is right around the corner.

The annual Premium Live Event takes place February 1 inside of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana and once again there will be two Royal Rumble Matches at this year's show.

The men's event looking like an all-timer as Roman Reigns, CM Punk, John Cena, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn and a few other heavy hitters have already made clear their intentions of earning a World Title Shot at WrestleMania 41. The field for the women's match, however, remains largely unknown.

Several big names joined Nia Jax and Bayley in the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble Friday night on SmackDown, but there are still plenty of spots to be filled and a vast ocean of talent to take each and every one of them.

The 10 second countdown for each participant will bring with it a high level of anticipation that anyone, from anywhere these days, could run down the ramp with dreams of pointing at the WrestleMania sign by the end of the night. Let's look at some of the likely, and not so likely, surprise competitors this year.

Disclaimer: The Takedown on SI is not reporting that any of these women will officially be competing in the Royal Rumble this year.

Now Declared:

Charlotte Flair

The 14-time Women's World Champion is expected back any day now / wwe.com

Charlotte Flair's imminent return to action was confirmed by WWE on SmackDown when they aired a vignette for the 14-time Women's World Champion. As previously speculated in our original writing, Charlotte was given the 2023 Cody Rhodes treatment with the company announcing her entry into the Royal Rumble, as opposed to having The Queen be a surprise entrant. Bianca Belair, Naomi, Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriquez all declared for the match Friday as well.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 100%

Extremely likely:

Becky Lynch

Will The Man come back around at the Royal Rumble? / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The clock continues to tick on Becky Lynch's highly anticipated return to WWE. The Man is reportedly back under contract, but creative plans for the former Women's Champion heading into WrestleMania 41 remain under wraps, or perhaps even undecided. Many pegged the Raw on Netflix premiere as the night Lynch would come back around, but instead fans were treated to an appearance from The Undertaker.

The closer we get to February 1, the more likely it is that WWE is keeping Lynch off television until Indianapolis. Should she appear in the match, The Man should be considered a heavy favorite to become the women's first two-time Royal Rumble winner.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 95%

Jordynne Grace

The former Knockouts World Champion is reportedly WWE bound /

It was a total shock last year when then TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace entered the Women's Royal Rumble from the No. 5 position. Fast forward a year later and it would be utterly shocking if she wasn't one of the 30 participants in 2025. Grace has reportedly finished up with TNA and is expected to join WWE imminently, if she hasn't already agreed to terms. WWE deciding to debut Grace in the Women's Royal Rumble and give her a dominant showing seems extraordinarily likely.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 90%

Giulia

Giulia is ready for new opportunities / WWE.com

Giulia may be the new face of the NXT Women's Division, but she has her sights set on making it to the main roster as quickly as possible. There's no better way to get the ball rolling on that goal than by putting on a show for one of WWE's largest audiences of the year. Expect Triple H and Shawn Michaels to be on the same page with wanting to feature their new international Superstar as a way to pull more eyes to the CW Network while Giulia is still exclusive to NXT.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 85%

Jade Cargill

Will Jade Cargill be back to collect receipts? / WWE.com

Jade Cargill has reportedly been back at the WWE Performance Center in recent weeks, preparing for her return to television. She's been on the shelf since before Survivor Series after she was attacked backstage by a mystery assailant. Whomever was responsible did a great job covering their tracks, but Jade has been teasing on social media that she knows something we don't. The Royal Rumble could very well be the time and place for her to seek retribution.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 85%

Roxanne Perez

Roxanne Perez should be back in the Royal Rumble / WWE.com

Roxanne Perez has been following Bayley across all three brands as of late, and with the Role Model already having declared for the annual over the top rope challenge, it would only make sense for the former NXT Champion to make the trip to Indianapolis. Perez is no stranger to Royal Rumble matches, having competed the past two years. She'll make it three in a row and potentially cost Bayley her shot at going back-to-back.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 85%

A Good Bet:

Masha Slamovich

TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich on NXT / WWE.com

The new official partnership between WWE and TNA opens the door to all sorts of crossover possibilities this year. Many expect TNA Champion Joe Hendry to get the nod for the Men's Royal Rumble, but don't overlook the reigning Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich. It's safe to assume she'll follow in the footsteps of Mickie James and Jordynne Grace by representing TNA in the women's match, especially after her recent appearance on NXT. If Cora Jade enters the Rumble at any point, Slamovich probably won't be far behind.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 75%

Stephanie Vaquer

Stephanie could wreck shop in the Royal Rumble / WWE.com

Everything that was said regarding a showcase for Giulia on a big stage, rings true for Stephanie Vaquer. The former CMLL Women's Champion has been nothing short of impressive since arriving in NXT back in July. Allowing Vaquer the opportunity to mix it up with the Bayley's and Becky Lynch's of the world, regardless if the encounters are brief or not, will serve as a tremendous appetizer for the main roster women's feuds of the future.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 70%

Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 39 / WWE.com

The WWE Hall of Famer is celebrating her 25th anniversary in professional wrestling this year and has already expressed a desire to do something in the ring to celebrate accordingly. Trish Stratus hasn't competed since her spectacular cage match with Becky Lynch at Payback 2023, but she is always open for a return if the right opportunity presents itself.

With Elimination Chamber taking place on March 1 at the Rogers Centre in Stratus' hometown of Toronto, the Royal Rumble would be the perfect spot to put in motion any creative plans if WWE has eyes on Trish competing in Canada.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 67%

Maybe...

Nikki Bella

Jan 29, 2022; St. Louis, MO, USA; Nikki Bella during the Royal Rumble The Dome at America's Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

WWE and Nikki Bella have mended their fences recently, which led to the former Divas Champion making a surprise appearance at the Raw on Netflix premiere earlier this month. Could a return to the ring be next? Potentially.

Bella didn't shut down the possibility of a comeback when asked about one on the Netflix red carpet and her current run on The Traitors reality series shouldn't create any scheduling conflicts either, as the episodes were filmed ahead of time. Rumors began to swirl Thursday afternoon (1/23) that Bella could be making her in-ring return in WWE sooner rather than later. That report forced a recalculation of her odds of appearing at the Royal Rumble to better than a coin flip.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 55%

Mickie James

Jul 18, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; WWE personality Mickie James arrives for the 2018 ESPYS at Microsoft Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How about a little Hardcore Country in Indianapolis this year? Mickie James has not competed for WWE since she made history with her 2022 Women's Royal Rumble appearance as the reigning TNA Knockouts World Champion. Nowadays, James spends more time behind the scenes as Creative Director and Producer for Ohio Valley Wrestling.

While she is married to the current SmackDown General Manager, that fact won't necessarily carry any weight with whether or not she gets called in for the Royal Rumble. There's always a chance it happens ahead of what should be a Hall of Fame induction this year.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 30%

Gail Kim

Could Gail Kim wrestle her first WWE match in years? / TNA Wrestling

Gail Kim has said before that she doesn't believe WWE would ask her to compete in the Women's Royal Rumble, but again, anything is possible with this new TNA partnership. The seven-time Knockouts World Champion has been a very vocal critic of the company in the past, but so has Nikki Bella. So has CM Punk for that matter. Kim's inclusion in the Women's Royal Rumble would be nice nod to the Hall of Fame career she's been able to accomplish since she left WWE in 2011. That being said, she's only wrestled one time since 2019.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 12%

Don't count on it

Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss posing with the Raw Women's Championship for the final time at SummerSlam 2018 / wwe.com

The last time fans saw Alexa Bliss in a WWE ring was back at the 2023 Royal Rumble. It would be a full circle moment for Bliss to return at that same Premium Live Event two years later. Originally, I had the five-time Women's Champion coming in at about a 60% chance of competing in the Women's Royal Rumble Match this year. That percentage took a massive hit with a recent report that creative plans for Bliss have been put on hold for the time being, potentially due to a contract issue. Anything could change between now and then, but for this moment, it has to be considered unlikely for Alexa Bliss to be in Indianapolis.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: 7%

Carmella

Carmella would be a very pleasant surprise / WWE.com

I don't think there's any doubt that WWE would welcome Carmella back with open arms were she able to physically compete, but she developed drop foot syndrome after giving birth to her son in November of 2023. It's a condition that makes moving the top of one's foot extremely difficult which, needless to say, is not great for someone in her line of work. Carmella posted an Instagram story back in November that she was still seeking medical advice for her foot. So unfortunately, it may still be some time before she's back in the ring. Genuinely cannot wait until she is able to return.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: Maybe 5%

AJ Lee

AJ Lee at WrestleMania 31 / WWE.com

Last, but certainly not least, we have to discuss the possibility that this is the year that AJ Lee finally returns to WWE. The former Divas Champion has been atop many fans' surprise Royal Rumble appearance wish list since the women began competing in their own match eight years ago. Many WWE Superstars, including Bayley and Roxanne Perez, have stated publicly that they've been pleading for her to make a comeback over the years. Her own husband, CM Punk, has said similar, and yet she's approaching 10 years since she retired from in-ring competition.

AJ Lee was suffering from a cervical spine injury at the time of her retirement, so it may just not be in the cards. Its gotten to the point where I simply will not believe she's coming back, until it actually happens. If wrestling fans want to see her back in action, I suggest firing up season 2 of Heels on Netflix.

Chance of appearing in the Rumble: < 1%

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