Rhea Ripley is going to WrestleMania 39!
Royal Rumble matches have traditionally been loaded with surprises and the 2023 women’s match certainly delivered on that promise. Outside of Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan going from start to finish there were surprise appearances from NXT stars, returning stars, and perhaps most surprisingly Nia Jax.
Rhea Ripley Goes The Distance
Rhea Ripley entered the match at number one and she was followed into the action by Liv Morgan. The first shock came with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez arriving at number eight with Zoey stark joining the fun at 13.
One of the biggest ovations of the match was for Doudrop who returned to action under her old Piper Niven ring name. The star’s appearance was proceeded by the return of Asuka under her evil clown persona Kana.
At number 20 Chelsea Green made her WWE comeback but lasted only a matter of seconds, setting a new record in the process. The veteran spot was filled by Michelle McCool at number 25 who entered the match from ringside as she watched the action with her children.
However, arguably the biggest shock came when Nia Jax entered the match at number 30. It was Jax’s first appearance in a WWE ring since being released by the company in November 2021. The star cut an imposing figure but she was eliminated by everyone in the ring after being hit by a Riptide from Rhea Ripley.
Throughout the surprises, returns, and everything in between Morgan and Ripley remained.
In the final three, the two women were joined by Asuka, who impressed on her reappearance. At the match’s end, all three women ended up on the apron. After Ripley ducked, Asuka hit the mist on Morgan who was temporarily blinded.
From here, Ripley spun into the ring while kicking Asuka to eliminate her. The Judgment Day star followed this with a head scissors on Morgan, flipping her out of the ring.