Here is my extended version of the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble – much of which is wishful thinking but I hope you like it. Any feedback – good or bad – is appreciated.
Preliminations:
– The RR winner should, in my opinion, be someone who is established on the roster and has done good work, so I will not consider any returnees to win the RR out of nowhere
– I want to establish the new secondary titles in the women’s division and give the two first title holders a strong showing in the RR
– I want to make some feuds for Wrestlemania other than one or two women’s matches (e.g. the Jade Cargill whodunnit)
– I assume that all returnees are ready to compete and not injured
– There might be some unpopular booking choices and hot takes in this booking but I am trying to go somewhere
#1: Lyra Valkyria (reigning women’s Intercontinental Champion)
#2: Chelsea Green (reigning women’s US Champion)
In this scenario, Chelsea will have won the US title because she deserves some love for her brilliant character work and she could go the cheap trick route whereas Lyra Valkyria works as an anti-thesis to Chelsea as a huge prospect and makes the IC title the workhorse title.
Both go back and forth for a while with Lyra getting the technical upper hand and Chelsea trying to weasel her way out of Lyra’s moves. Chelsea gets the better of Lyra when the countdown runs down.
#3: Michin
The woman Chelsea beat in the finals (in my booking because Tiffany – at the time – carried the briefcase, she doesn’t need to compete for a secondary title). Michin goes immediately after Chelsea and her and Lyra form a loose alliance at the beginning before Chelsea gets some backup.
#4: Piper Niven
Never! Ever! Split Chelsea and Piper up. They are gold together and Piper can work as Chelsea’s enforcer and at some point compete for the title when Chelsea eventually loses it. Piper stomps both the faces around, being viciously encouraged by Chelsea who does not get her hands dirty at the moment.
#5: Ivy Nile
Ivy Nile has huge potential in the new American Made group, she might be a good no 1 contender for Lyra even, but unfortunately, she is here to make up the numbers. She joins Piper and Chelsea by beating up the babyfaces before she gets a bit over her head and feels too secure in the presence of Chelsea and Piper, so Piper just shrugs her shoulders and disposes of Ivy unceremoniously.
[Ivy Nile eliminated]
Afterwards, we get a little bit of double-team action from both “teams” in the ring. I imagine Michin as a good first contender for Chelsea so we can establish something there. Speaking of establishing something.
#6: Roxanne Perez
The NXT roster is strong and stacked and by the time of the RR Roxanne should be dethroned as NXT champion by Giulia so she would be ready for a call-up and a first opponent for Lyra for the IC title. Roxanne immediately goes after Lyra, thus splitting up the loose alliance between Lyra and Michin, which leaves Michin open for being teamed-up against by Chelsea and Piper. But the spotlight here should be on the interaction between Roxanne and Lyra.
#7: Naomi
Let’s get some storylines rolling, shall we? Naomi – now part of the women’s tag team champions because by order of the General Managers they implemented the Freebird rule and Naomi effectively replaced the injured Jade Cargill as Champ. Naomi gets her entrance, dances along and is all cheerful and comes to the aid of Michin because there recently was a tag team title match between her and Bianca and Chelsea/Piper, so she is justified going after the heels. Naomi and Michin get the upper hand and Naomi poses in the ring when the countdown drops to zero.
#8: Jade Cargill
Naomi’s face drops. Jade Cargill makes her return and doesn’t waste any time posing and she goes straight after Naomi and annihilates her. Everyone is confused for a second. We hear Jade scream “It was you!” over and over again through the mics. At this point it is debatable whether or not Naomi WAS the attacker (Jade COULD have been attacked from behind) but my take is that Naomi embodies the “veteran who constantly gets overshadowed” villain, especially considering how green Jade still is. So this would justify her actions. Naomi does not attack back here (again, the route can still be chosen but not until later in the Rumble in my booking, we’ll get there) but she escapes over the ropes onto the apron. Jade comes for Naomi when Piper runs at Jade but Jade manages to anticipate and steps out of the way and Piper knocks Naomi off the apron.
[Naomi eliminated]
Note, that Naomi does NOT get her usual popular escape spot, which might point to her becoming a heel. Jade screams at her and Naomi is seen trying to “reason” with Jade while she leaves the ring.
#9: Tiffany Stratton
Hear me out. Tiffany is limping to the ring, clutching her chest because that night the newly-turned face Tiffany tried to cash in on Nia Jax but she failed (please don’t kill me…). The fragile alliance between her and Nia has crumbled over the weeks thanks to Candice LeRae whispering into Nia’s ear. After Nia’s title match earlier, Tiffany tried to cash in but she got hit by Candice and Nia just annihilated her with several finishers and Tiffany lost her Cash-in match.
This is a bold move but it will give nuclear heat on Nia and will make Tiffany even more popular (you sense where I am going with this tonight, remember Becky Lynch some years back). Tiffany tries to get moves in but she is badly banged up and sells the hell out of the cash-in. Chelsea and Piper will give her a hard time for a bit. And it gets worse.
#10: Candice LeRae
Candice obviously goes straight after Tiffany, targeting her torso. Candice tries to throw her out but Tiffany manages to hang on. Meanwhile, Piper and Jade have a staredown and throw some heavy hits at each other with Jade, giving her a bit of a moment, powering Piper over the top rope.
[Piper Niven eliminated]
Chelsea tries to throw Jade out afterwards, but fails to do so.
#11: Masha Slamovich/Giulia
This spot is reserved for showing off one of those two champions, I would prefer Giulia because Roxanne is still in the ring but the argument could be made that it should be the TNA champion to clarify that Roxanne has no way back to NXT. The chosen champion gets a few power moves in on everybody before Candice knocks her down from behind and everybody is currently down.
The first two to stand are Chelsea and Lyra both still in the ring and even though I love Chelsea as a comedy act she should be depicted as capable champion and the both get at it in the middle of the ring. It’s a great exchange and they give it their all until the countdown runs out.
#12: Nikki Cross
Down go the lights. When they go back on, Nikki is already in the ring, standing between Chelsea and Lyra. Both back away, terrified, however, Nikki turns around and goes straight after Candice (it makes sense to go after evils for vigilantes). This opens the door for Michin to try to go after Chelsea and Roxanne to go after Lyra. Both try to throw the others out but both champions reverse and throw out their adversaries.
[Michin eliminated]
[Roxanne Perez eliminated]
Strong champions! But their time is running out because Champions obviously should not win the Royal Rumble.
#13: Shayna Baszler
Let’s give Lyra some more contestants for her title. If Roxanne might end up in NXT again or we need a backup plan, Shayna can fill the spot. Moreover, Shayna is completely wasted right now and she should get something to sink her teeth into. Shayna goes straight after Lyra and strikes her with vicious kicks. Giulia (for simplicity, let’s assume it’s the NXT champ) jumps in but Shayna strikes her down. Same for Nikki, same for Candice but we can clearly see that Shayna’s is focused on Lyra. With Shayna and Roxanne targeting the IC Champ, we have established a fine women’s mid-card now. However, Shayna’s rampage comes to an end when she is struck down by Jade Cargill just as the countdown ends.
#14: …
Nothing happens. We are shown the titantron and they cut to the back. We see entrant number 14, Binanca Belair, taken out by “someone”. She is out cold, bloodied. Jade is torn. Now, we can go the route Bianca/Jade with Jade staying in the match and making her a heel for selfishness or – which I prefer – the Naomi-heel route and Jade decides to abandon the Rumble to mirror Bianca’s behavior when she withdrew from her Triple Threat Match. Jade deliberately goes over the top rope to come and check on Bianca.
[Jade Cargill eliminated]
I know that this is a problem for booking the women’s tag titles but the Freebird rule can give an out here and make Bianca and Jade title holders again. Look, everyone wants the money match between Bianca and Jade but I think that Naomi as the antagonist makes more sense. I hate Bianca’s face act but she serves an important role as a face as a role model for young girls and people may not buy Jade as a heel in this scenario anyway, so this might be the safest route. Also, it protects Jade, because nobody has eliminated her from this Rumble.
#15: Charlotte Flair
Curveball! The returns don’t come until the 20’s but here Charlotte is and she goes straight after everybody, regardless of who it is. Spear! Spear! WHOOO! We will clarify whether she is a face or a heel soon-ish. But she immediately makes an impact by eliminating Giulia.
[Giulia eliminated]
#16: Rhea Ripley
I am really hoping that WWE can somehow drag the Rhea/Liv feud longer because I want Rhea and Charlotte have a feud over dominance of the division and contesting for Liv’s title (which will be decided at Elimination Chamber). Rhea acknowledges Charlotte, but Charlotte only smirks (yup, she’s a heel). Rhea then “welcomes” her with a headbutt and the two have a huge brawl.
Quick recap: half-way through we have Rhea, Charlotte, Tiffany, Candice (who both tell a story throughout the match but none can get the upper hand), Shayna, Lyra and Chelsea as well as Nikki (more on her later).
#17: Bayley
Let’s get some star power in. Bayley is always a hot contender and she lost the semi final for the US title to Chelsea so she can go after Chelsea immediately. In the current brawl, Bayley eliminates Chelsea and Shayna finally eliminates Lyra.
[Chelsea Green eliminated]
[Lyra Valkyria eliminated]
We now have a proper US-midcard with Chelsea, Bayley and Michin (and maybe Piper later on) and a proper IC-midcard with Lyra, Roxanne and Shayna. Now we can focus on the World Title picture.
#18: Kairi Sane
This will be interesting since Kairi and Bayley are both faces now (Iyo had a match earlier with Liv, so she will not be in the Rumble). So Kairi gets some moves in and eventually comes face to face with Bayley. They both eye each other up, nod respectfully and go at it in a fun little segment, meanwhile Candice constantly tries to eliminate Tiffany but always gets interrupted by Nikki Cross.
#19: B-Fab
B-Fab, unfortunately, will only make up the numbers but she can get some moves in against some of the heels in the ring.
#20: Natalya
She is probably breaking a record of some sort with this, so she might as well get in there now. However, to not make the middle part boring, now is the time that Tiffany in a final, very good sequence can eliminate Candice in dramatic fashion. She is already on the apron but she can save herself and pull out Candice instead. Candice tries to drag Tiffany out of the ring but Tiffany slips out of Candice’s grip (I will not go the “Roman’s sleeping” route). Candice lividly stomps to the back.
[Candice LeRae eliminated]
#21: Zoey Stark
Shayna gets some backup (ugh…) and the two can dominate for a bit but now, Candice and Nia have something up their sleeves.
#22: Sonya Deville
Sonya does not come alone. On her way to the ring, she is flanked by Nia Jax and Candice. They tell her to go after Tiffany mumbling something that Sonya agrees to. I can actually see PFC working as a female version of APA, guns for hire so to speak. Sonya enters the ring and she yells commands at Shayna and Zoey to make Tiffany’s life a living hell. This however will be short-lived.
#23: Dakota Kai
Dakota makes her way to the ring and while PFC are clobbering Tiffany in the corner, Dakota meets Kairi and Bayley in the ring. Let’s have a feel-good moment. It does not make sense maybe but for a brief moment Damage CTRL reunite and they go three on three against PFC, eventually getting rid of all three of them.
[Shayna Baszler eliminated]
[Zoey Stark eliminated]
[Sonya Deville eliminated]
This feel-good moment is ruined by Charlotte who quickly gets rid of Kairi.
[Kairi Sane eliminated]
And goes after the other two. Soon after Charlotte has knocked out Dakota and Bayley, Charlotte disposes of B-Fab and Natalya while she’s at it.
[B-Fab eliminated]
[Natalya eliminated]
She gets her revenge in on Rhea by actually headbutting her back now. That leaves only Tiffany as target for now…
Tiffany, realizing what Damage CTRL have done for her, then confronts Charlotte in the middle of the ring. Another money match we didn’t know we wanted. Charlotte eyes her up and smirks again, pointing at Tiffany’s banged-up body. They go at it and Tiffany actually manages to eliminate Charlotte from the match.
[Charlotte Flair eliminated]
Charlotte is gobsmacked at first, but then again, just smirks and leaves. Tiffany will not get many eliminations in this but the eliminations should be impactful.
#24: Raquel Rodriguez
We need a dominant heel now in this face-laden ring. So Raquel comes in and cleans house. Cheap heat will go at the cost of Dakota Kai
[Dakota Kai eliminated]
And, after a brave fight, Bayley
[Bayley eliminated]
No back-to-back Bayley, unfortunately. And I know that heat on Raquel comes at the expense of Bayley, which makes her look weak, but she can recover in the US-program against Chelsea. Bayley should be leading the women’s mid-card long-term, in my opinion.
Raquel does not come eye to eye with Rhea yet, she fights Nikki and Tiffany first.
#25: Zelina Vega
Yup, numbers again, but I will make a tiny story out of this because
#26: Electra Lopez
Enters next. The two can have a brawl and take each other out, this may or may not lead to something but there are worse things than reheating an old feud to give them three minutes of spotlight. Speaking of spotlight:
#27: Alexa Bliss
Alexa makes her great return at the infamous number 27. This gives the suspense she might be winning, even though 27 is not the luckiest number anymore. But she won’t, I will not give the win to returnees. Notably, Alexa comes to the ring with her old music and attire. As she enters, she gets some moves in but she looks nervous, insecure and ring-rusty (on purpose, no less. I plan her role to be doubtful of herself, which will make her vulnerable to the Wyatt 6 eventually advancing her – I believe she should be involved somehow but she should not [yet] join the group and definitely not lead them).
Ok, let’s not beat around the bush, she will meet up with Nikki Cross eventually. Alexa is torn, insecure, unsure of what to make of her opponent. But so is Nikki. Nikki is tilting her head, as if she recognizes Alexa from her past. Nikki reaches out a hand. Alexa, not sure whether she wants to take it or not, hesitates. Right before Alexa can take Nikki’s hand, Raquel clobbers Alexa down from behind. Nikki goes absolutely mental on Raquel trying to obliterate her. Nikki screams and yells in pain and terror. Alexa, observing the outburst, hides in a corner. Raquel, however, takes out Nikki and throws her over the top.
[Nikki Cross eliminated]
#28: Lash Legend
A new powerhouse enters the fray. Cole and Corey can go on about who would possibly be able to throw her out and she has some fun exchanges with Rhea, Raquel and Tiffany. Raquel and Rhea have still not crossed paths yet.
#29: Fallon Henley/NXT Superstar
If we took the TNA Champ above I would prefer the secondary NXT Champ here, if we stuck with Giulia, we can insert an NXT prospect who is on the verge of being called up. For simplicity, Fallon goes after Lash Legend (which could set something up in NXT if both stay down there for the foreseeable future, and they get at it and drive each other into one corner. Meanwhile, Raquel gets rid of both Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez.
[Zelina Vega eliminated]
[Elektra Lopez eliminated]
As Raquel turns around Rhea has positioned herself behind her. The two have a staredown but before Rhea can get a hand on Raquel, they are interrupted by the buzz of the final entrant.
#30: Becky Lynch
It has to be Becky. If she doesn’t want to come back (yet) fine, but I would assume it is a good time, considering her husband has beef with CM Punk currently (yup, it will be going THAT route). The crowd goes absolutely ballistic. Becky powerwalks to the ring, soaks in the reaction and get to f*cking work. She kicks the living hell out of of everyone in her path. She does the Shawn Michaels/Yokozuna/Vader spot from ’96 with Lash Legend and Fallon Henley who are brawling at the ropes.
[Lash Legend eliminated]
[Fallon Henley eliminated]
The crowd lose their minds as Becky clobbers Rhea, Raquel, Tiffany and even poor Alexa (who still seems to be off her in-ring game completely)
So the final contestants are
Tiffany Stratton
Rhea Ripley
Raquel Rodriguez
Alexa Bliss
Becky Lynch
Four of them have a standoff in the middle of the ring, while Alexa is still sort of clinging to the turnbuckle. Now comes the part where probably some people will be angry because now it’s time for shenanigans…
The final sequence goes as follows: Tiffany will Moonsault Rhea, Raquel will Tahana Bomb Tiffany and Becky will Bexplode Raquel when a hooded figure appears on the apron, puts Becky in chokehold and drags her over the top rope out of the match.
[Becky Lynch eliminated]
The hooded figure reveals herself as, of course, AJ Lee. She will be back for one match with Becky or – if that’s your jam – a mixed tag match at Mania (In my booking Punk does not win the rumble). AJ Lee does not lay another hand on Becky and quickly disappears through the time-keeper’s area, no signature strolling, no-nonsense in this!
Alexa, realizing she is the only woman standing, attempts to pick up the pieces. The camera zooms in on her standing in the corner. There is a hand on her shoulder. Nikki Cross, who never left ringside, holds Alexa, gently almost. Alexa is frozen in place. Nikki, in an attempt to… hug her? Drags Alexa out of the ring, over the top rope.
[Alexa Bliss eliminated]
In an ideal scenario, Nikki fights this match without her mask, because we need to see that Nikki is conflicted, confused by Alexa’s reaction. Why does Alexa hate her? She does not want her any harm. But Alexa doesn’t know. She runs off the ramp to the back, Nikki on her tails. We cannot say yet, where this is going. (It is going towards a “You are not ready yet” arc in which Alexa has to regain confidence and face her past #fiendnonsense)
Raquel will now dominate the other two for a while and there will be spots that look as if she can get the job done but Rhea will eventually – to a huge pop – eliminate Raquel and get revenge.
[Raquel Rodriguez eliminated]
So the logical final two are Tiffany Stratton and Rhea Ripley who have feuds going on and Tiffany ultimately having lost her briefcase earlier this evening. They fight with passion and respect. It goes back and forth, but Tiffany is obviously more exhausted. In the endTiffany will counter a Riptide attempt and with the last inches of her power throw Rhea Ripley out of the ring to win the 2025 Royal Rumble.
[Rhea Ripley eliminated]
Royal Rumble winner: Tiffany Stratton
Full Credit to Reddit User Kiddybus
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