Top Star Hints at Surprise Royal Rumble Match Participation

The 2025 WWE Royal Rumble
is less than a week away. The Road to WrestleMania officially kicks off this upcoming Saturday, February 1st, when 30 superstars, each from the men’s and women’s sides, vie for the right to earn a world championship opportunity at the Grandest Stage of them All. The Royal Rumble is typically full of surprises. This year’s event should be no different.

Given that the prize for winning the Royal Rumble is a championship match at WrestleMania, world titleholders usually do not participate in the match. But current Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley recently teased her potential participation, not in the women’s match, but in the men’s Royal Rumble match.

Rhea Ripley Hints Men’s Royal Rumble Participation

Mami could be just the fourth woman to enter the men’s match

Rhea Ripley successfully retained her Women’s World Championship against Nia Jax at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Mami will officially walk into WrestleMania season as one of the top two women in the division. Now that she cleared Jax out of the way, Ripley now shifts her focus towards the women’s Royal Rumble match on Saturday at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Still, despite being a champion, that doesn’t necessarily mean she can’t participate in a Rumble match. Following her successful title defense, WWE correspondents Jackie Redmond and Peter Rosenberg got hold of The Eradicator. As she discussed what’s next on her plate, Ripley also teased about potentially being in the men’s Royal Rumble match.

The Australian hasn’t appeared in a Royal Rumble since she won the women’s match in 2023. So she must be having some kind of itch to participate in any way she can. If Ripley’s tease on Saturday comes to fruition, she will become just the fourth female to participate in the men’s Royal Rumble match. Chyna, Beth Phoenix, and Nia Jax are the only three women to appear in the men’s Royal Rumble match.

Ironically, the last woman to appear in the men’s match was her opponent on Saturday night, Nia Jax. To recall, Jax had a dominant showing during the match and even eliminated Mustafa Ali. That is until Randy Orton had enough.

The men’s Royal Rumble match is arguably the most stacked it has been in recent memory. Headlining the match will be John Cena, who will be appearing in the final Royal Rumble of his illustrious career. Roman Reigns is also returning to the Rumble for the first time since 2019, as he has been champion for the most part of the last four years. Additionally, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Drew McIntyre are some of the other top names in the men’s Rumble match.

As for the women’s Royal Rumble, 14-time women’s world champion Charlotte Flair is set to make her highly-anticipated return in the match. Likewise, Bianca Belair, Iyo Sky, and Bayley have also declared their participation. There have also been rumblings of a potential Nikki Bella return. She appeared on the RAW on Netflix premiere earlier this month. Perhaps she makes her WWE comeback at the Royal Rumble.

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