3 WWE legends we can expect in the Women's Royal Rumble match
This Saturday, WWE will present the 37th edition of the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, with the winners of the men's and women's matches earning a title shot at WrestleMania 40.
Although the matchup is predominantly designed for current superstars to showcase their skills, over the years, many iconic legends have made surprise appearances in the Rumble.
Join us as we take a look at three WWE legends who could make a surprising showing in the 2024 Women's Royal Rumble match.
#3 - A Hall of Famer returns to WWE
Last year, former Women's Champion Lita made her welcome return to the ring as she teamed up with her old rival, Becky Lynch. The pair would prove to be a formidable duo as they would go on to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
Lita's spell back in the ring would come to an end in April as she was written off TV after she was attacked backstage. Having been away from the ring for nine months or so, fans are now clamoring to see one of their favorites back in the squared circle.
During a recent interview with Daily DDT, Lita gave her thoughts on who she would like to face if she was to make her return to World Wrestling Entertainment.
"I actually just saw an interview where Rhea threw that back out there for a match against me,” the WWE Hall of Famer said. “I know we just talked about matches being really great without titles, but I would want that one to involve the title. She’s an incredible talent and I’d love to work with her because it would push me to go beyond my comfort zone I feel like I’ve been satisfied with what I’ve done in this chapter, but I’d love to see how far I can take it."
With Rhea Ripley as the current Women's World Champion, Lita could be motivated to return as she could potentially win the rumble and then go on to face The Eradicator at WrestleMania for the gold.
#2 - The GOAT of WWE's women's division returns
Alongside Lita, Trish Stratus also proved she can still go in the ring as she made her return last year.
Stratus' most memorable moment in WWE last year was undoubtedly her steel cage match against Becky Lynch at Payback, a contest many labeled as a potential match of the year.
During a recent Q&A at Big Texas Comic Con, the Canadian was asked what it would take for her to make a much-anticipated return to the company.
"I’ve been asked by people here, ‘Are you coming back? Do you want to do another run?’ But this is the thing, I’m like… the boxes it has to check,” Stratus said. “One is the creative. What is the creative? What am I going to come back and do? Is it going to check these boxes? So, I always turn it back to people and go, ‘I might go back but who should I face?’ Tell me, I wanna know."
As far as the creative reason for her to return is concerned, WWE has a great storyline for Trish and her former protege Zoey Stark, as the latter attacked the legend after her steel cage match with Lynch.
#1 - The Glamazon rumbles once again
Like Lita and Trish Stratus, a fellow WWE Hall of Famer who has shown that she can hang with the best that the company has to offer today is The Glamazon, Beth Phoenix.
The former Divas and Women's Champion last wrestled for the company at Elimination Chamber in February of last year when she and her husband Edge took on the team of Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley.
Having shown that she can go toe to toe with Ripley, Beth Phoenix gave insight into how she prepped for her return to the ring at Elimination Chamber's post-show press conference:
"I knew I had to put in the extra hours, the consistency in the gym to be able to stand toe to toe and bring it because it's difficult," she said. "At home, I am a mom, I spend a lot of my time raising our children, taking them to school, being soccer mom, and it's kind of compartmentalizing the killer instinct that you need to get in the ring and do what we do."
Given that she was able to compete on a level playing field with a star as talented as Rhea Ripley, Beth would certainly have no problem stepping back in the ring at the Royal Rumble this Saturday.