Reviewing the Ninth Annual Women's Royal Rumble

Before I went to bed last night, I decided to go to Netflix and relive the 2018 Women's Royal Rumble Match, the very first Women's Rumble. Amazing. A Women's Royal Rumble Match seemed like just a pipe dream. Now, not only did it come true in 2018, but we are now in Year Nine of the Women's Rumble. On Saturday, January 31, 2026, the 39th annual Royal Rumble event took place, and for the first time since the very first one in 1988, they left the country, as the Saudi capital of Riyadh hosted the event.

I love the Royal Rumble! It is my all-time favorite event. Yes, WrestleMania has the prestige, pomp, and circumstance, but the Rumble has that Stanley Cup Playoff-esque chaos that I drink in. For the women, the goal is simple: 30 women enter, but only one stands tall, and that one will be off to WrestleMania to challenge for either the WWE Women's Championship or the Women's World Championship. So let's break down the ninth annual Women's Royal Rumble:

An Interesting Opening

We always focus on the two combatants who begin the Rumble, because it's often interesting. "Interesting" was an understatement in Women's Rumble IX! The #1 entrant was none other than Charlotte Flair, last year's winner and the only two-time winner in the Women's Rumble's short history. Being among the earliest entrants doesn't work out well, but remember, her two-time Hall of Fame father was one of the first five entrants in 1992, and won it. Also, Rhea Ripley entered at #1 in 2023 and ran the table. And it gets crazier, because at #2, it was Alexa Bliss. Oh boy!

Charlotte and Alexa formed an odd pairing last year, claiming to not be friends, but they ended up as tag champs. As the time went by, they went from "frenemies" to actually having closeness, but when it came to the Rumble, they each told each other they would win. The pair did have a few arguments, but they decided to wait on #3 together. How nice of them!

Evil Shouldn't Look This Good

At #3, Kiana James made her entrance, competing in the Women's Rumble for the very first time. Kiana has actually been on the main roster for two years, but spent most of that time on the shelf, not returning until this past summer in her current role as Giulia's representative/manager. I absolutely loved Kiana's attire at the event, but I will save most of my talk about the gear for the near end of this recap.

The Surprises

Of course, we would get the usual NXT surprise entrances, and the first one was a very awesome surprise: Lola Vice at #6. To say I absolutely love Lola Vice would be an understatement. She reminds me so much of Melina; the passion, the fiery demeanor (regardless of character, in this case, she's a face), and the awesome outfits. Lola was the first of four NXT surprise entrants in this year's go-around. The other three: Sol Ruca (at #10), NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne (#24), and Kelani Jordan (#27). Unfortunately, Lola had the distinction of being the first elimination of the match, and she was ousted by:

Full of Grace

Jordynne Grace had quite the last few months; on NXT we saw her in segments with Thea Hail, who surprisingly won the NXT Women's North American Championship. I was really hoping we'd get that long, long overdue heel turn from Jordynne, but a funny thing happened: she got called up. So Jordynne's on the SmackDown brand and has her sights set on Jade Cargill and the WWE Women's Championship. Jordynne entered at #8, and dished out the first three eliminations: Lola, Candice LeRae, and Ivy Nile. She lasted a good bit, but she was ousted by:

Lash of Dominance

For the second time, Lash Legend made her imposing and dominant presence felt in Women's Rumble, but this was her first appearance as a member of the main roster. Similar to Jordynne, Lash is part of the SmackDown brand, and she formed quite the evil alliance with Nia Jax, who was eliminated before Lash made her entrance. Lash had quite the dominant performance with five eliminations. Jordynne was one of them and another one was, of all women, Charlotte Flair, who lasted almost an hour.

Twin Magic Reunited

Nikki Bella, whose appearance marked one year since she began her latest run, entered the Rumble at #25. However, the real treat came just a bit later, when at #29, Brie Bella made a surprise appearance. Though, let's be honest, we all knew Brie would appear. The Bellas have had interesting appearances at the Women's Rumble; they were in the first one in 2018, and that actually saw Nikki eliminate Brie. Brie would pay her sister back four years later in 2022. There would be no Bella betrayal here; the twins worked as a tandem and were eliminated as a tandem, with Lash Legend ousting both Hall of Famers. Oh, and the only other elimination from Lash was Iyo Sky, who was my pick to win it.

So who actually did win Women's Rumble IX?

Liv in the Moment

The final four came down to Sol Ruca, Liv Morgan (#14), Raquel Rodriguez (#17), and Tiffany Stratton (#30). Liv, Raquel, and Roxanne Perez (#11) worked as quite the tandem for the most part, though Roxanne ended up ousted by Rhea Ripley. After Raquel eliminated Rhea, Liv shockingly eliminated Raquel! Unlike when Charlotte eliminated Alexa, and an even crazier moment when Kairi Sane eliminated Asuka, this was no accident. So Sol was left with two former Women's Champions, and one of them, Tiffany Stratton, took Sol out, only for Liv to eliminate Tiffy Time to win it.

Liv has the rare distinction of having competed in all nine Women's Rumble matches. Only Natalya (now repackaged as the evil Nattie) shares that nod with Liv; Nattie entered this year's match at #13. Fans wanted Liv to win this year, but I felt that the time for Liv to win was two years ago when she needed it. She doesn't need it, but she did win this year. Liv joins the prestigious list that includes Asuka (I - 2018), Becky Lynch (II - 2019), Charlotte Flair (III - 2020 & VIII - 2025), Bianca Belair (IV - 2021), Ronda Rousey (V - 2022), Rhea Ripley (VI - 2023), and Bayley (VII - 2024).

So Liv has a championship match waiting for her at WrestleMania in Vegas, but against who? Stephanie Vaquer will defend her Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez, and if Raquel actually does win that title, we could see the Judgment Day allies clash. Or we could get Liv challenging Vaquer, who won the vacant title after Liv's injury. The next two and a half months will be interesting!

The Powerful Gear

I have to talk about the gear--the bodysuits. Let's get one thing straight. I am no Mr. Blackwell and I am no Tim Gunn. I--who consider a New York Yankees pinstriped jersey as "my best suit"--should be the last person to talk about fashion. But I have to talk about the bodysuits. I LOVED THEM! I love the bodysuits so much. The only thing I hate about them is the reason for them. Saudi Arabia is very backwards when it comes to women; it's the very reason why we fans have been very critical of WWE for having this deal to do shows in that country. Because of the country's backwards views and treatment of women, any female talent in WWE appears in bodysuits. But God bless those women, they make the best out of it.

The bodysuits are beautiful, but regarding who had the best one, I have to say Kiana. Kiana's gear fits her role as an evil businesswoman, which is the gimmick she's been playing since her debut, and she looks like she could be a villainous boss in a film. It's one of many reasons why I love the bodysuits, because I'm a superhero fan, and they definitely have a superheroine or supervillainess vibe. I'm also a fan of Power Rangers, and let's face it, a lot of them have that Power Rangers look. Remember the evil Psycho Rangers? Alexa's gear reminded me of the Psycho Pink Ranger, and I'll be honest, Lash Legend's gear gives me Rita Repulsa vibes. I also loved Lola Vice's bright South Florida colors, and Zelina Vega had the evil version of her winged gear which was a tribute to the Divas Championship.

In Closing

Women's Rumble IX was spectacular! It was a shame that we didn't get any legendary cameos, but I knew this would be the case because of where this year's Rumble was. I think/hope that next year will make up for it, because remember: next year's Rumble event will be a milestone. Next year will be the 40th Royal Rumble event, which will also feature the tenth Women's Royal Rumble Match. An idea I had for next year is for both Rumble matches to have 40 combatants in honor of the 40th year. Can you imagine the surprise entrants for Women's Rumble X if it's 40 women?! NXT represented, possibly TNA represented. And the alums! We could finally get Candice Michelle, Maryse, Kaitlyn, Layla, Eve Torres! Melina could return, so could Kelly Kelly, so could Lita! The possibilities... so many possibilities!

I always enjoy the Women's Royal Rumble, but WWE, I beg you. I don't ask for much, but please, make next year's Women's Rumble a 40-woman match to celebrate a decade of this phenomenon! A 40-woman Rumble would be absolutely epic! I pray they do this, and I will keep hoping for this, but for now, I will continue to drink in the fact that I witnessed another awesome and thrilling Women's Royal Rumble Match!