The first nineteen participants in the women’s Royal Rumble match have been announced.
During Friday Night SmackDown, a video package ran listing the following women set to compete in the 30-woman match on January 29th in St. Louis, Missouri including SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair entering the match.
*Charlotte Flair (SmackDown women’s champion)
*Rhea Ripley
*Nikki A.S.H.
*The Bella Twins
*Shotzi
*Natalya
*Michelle McCool
*Dana Brooke
*Carmella
*Queen Zelina
*Mickie James
*Tamina
*Kelly Kelly
*Aliyah
*Summer Rae
*Naomi
*Shayna Baszler
*Lita
Flair stated she will become the first champion to enter and win the Royal Rumble in order to choose her opponent at WrestleMania.
The match will mark the return of several female performers that have not wrestled for the company in years.
The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie, have not wrestled since 2018 with Nikki having serious neck problems and revealed in 2019 that they found a cyst on her brain, which turned out to be benign. The two were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class.
Lita’s last match also took place in 2018 when she wrestled at the Evolution pay-per-view and Raw the following night in October that year.
Mickie James was one of many cuts last year and is the current IMPACT Knockouts champion. James is set to defend her title against Deonna Purrazzo on Saturday’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view in Dallas, Texas.
Impact Knockouts World Champion @MickieJames will be in the #RoyalRumble Match! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/TXH0jm6QgE
— WWE (@WWE) January 8, 2022
Summer Rae was released by WWE in 2017 and last wrestled in 2019.
The Royal Rumble takes place from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis on Saturday, January 29th.
