Ranking the 10 Best Surprise Entrants for WWE Women's Royal Rumble

For years, one of the most anticipated elements of the Royal Rumble match has been the potential for surprise, unadvertised Superstars, and now that the 2018 incarnation of the January pay-per-view brings with it the first-ever women's Rumble, all eyes will be on which female Superstars fans can hope to see inside the WWE ring come January 28.

From the debut of an MMA icon to the returns of the most celebrated female performers in professional wrestling history, the potential for jaw-dropping moments is high.

But who are the 10 best surprises WWE could trot out to really make the inaugural bout feel that much more special and historic?

Take a look for yourself.

10. Torrie Wilson

One of the most popular female Superstars of all time, Torrie Wilson may never have been a traditional wrestler, but she was one of the faces of the SmackDown brand during the initial brand extension and one of the division's featured talents.

While no one would expect a long run out of her, nor would anyone necessarily believe she could hang with the stars of today, the longtime fan favorite would pop the crowd and have a moment in front of the Philadelphia fans. That would serve as a much more suitable goodbye than the embarrassing ordeal she and so many others were forced to endure nine years ago at the WrestleMania 25 Battle Royal.

If nothing else, her appearance would generate a buzz and leave fans guessing as to who else from WWE's past they might see enter the bout.

9. Kairi Sane

The Mae Young Classic was a historic next step in the women's revolution within WWE. With that said, why would the company not enter the winner of said tournament in the first-ever Royal Rumble match, especially since Kairi Sane does not figure to star at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia the night before.

Let the Pirate Princess mix it up with the best the industry has to offer. More importantly, let her have the awe-inspiring showdown with Asuka that teases an eventual match between the two, even if there are no immediate plans for that to happen.

Leave fans wanting more so that when those who routinely tune into Raw and SmackDown leave the show, they are buzzing about the Japanese competitor.

8. Sara Del Rey

Behind every great worker, there is a great teacher, and for many of the top female stars in WWE, Sara Amato is that teacher.

Before she moved to Florida to begin day-to-day work as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center, though, Amato was one of the most celebrated independent workers in the world. As Sara Del Rey, she had many a mat war with the very best female performers in the industry.

During her time with the Chikara promotion, she even worked with several male performers, including former United States and tag team champion Cesaro.

Amato was as instrumental to the development of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Charlotte and Becky Lynch as anyone and deserves the opportunity to showcase herself in a city she has worked in countless times before.

The same fans who chant "too sweet" and cheer for former indy darlings will embrace her appearance, while the women she was so key to helping become stars would likely mark out for the opportunity to work with her on a big stage.

A heartwarming surprise and story, if nothing else.

7. Michelle McCool

Michelle McCool has long hinted at a potential return to the ring, including a December 19 tweet that suggested an appearance in the Royal Rumble would be a "FLAWLESS" birthday gift.

It has been almost seven years since McCool has competed in a WWE ring, with her final bout coming in May 2011 at Extreme Rules, where she lost to longtime tag team partner Layla and was unceremoniously sent packing by the imposing Kharma.

A return to the ring would probably not generate the level of excitement that a Ronda Rousey debut or a cameo by Trish Stratus or Lita would, but longtime fans would likely appreciate the former school teacher (and wife of The Undertaker) strapping on the boots for another appearance.

A staple of the women's division and multitime champion at a point when former models dominated the scene, she made the transition from Diva Search reject to one of the best in-ring competitors of her era look easy.

An appearance by McCool would boost the "anything can happen" element of the match and provide her a nice moment in front of a passionate wrestling audience that likely has not forgotten how much she accomplished at her peak.

Plus, the potential showdown with Mickie James could be fun for those aforementioned longtime fans.

6. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey's potential involvement in the Royal Rumble is interesting in that, if there are no plans for her to win, there is no reason for her to even be in it.

The UFC star is a recognizable face far beyond the Octagon. Wasting her star power to participate in a match that serves only to ignite a storyline would be such an ass-backward way of utilizing her that it would become apparent almost immediately the company has no idea how to book her.

With that said, if WWE does have plans to have Rousey face someone like Charlotte Flair at an event like WrestleMania, having her brutalize top Superstars en route to a decisive victory in historic fashion is exactly the way to introduce her into the WWE Universe.

Rousey is an international icon, someone who transcended her sport to become a bigger star than she ever could have imagined. Was she hurt by the way her MMA career came to an end? Absolutely, but solid booking that plays to her strengths as a badass and a historic first appearance are what she needs in order to re-establish some professional momentum.

5. Alundra Blayze

Before there was Trish Stratus or Lita, there was the double-tough Alundra Blayze.

Known to many as Madusa, the Hall of Famer brought women's wrestling back to WWE in 1993 when she reintroduced the Women's Championship. Her matches with Bull Nakano introduced North American fans to women's wrestling unlike any they had ever seen before and proved that women could have bouts every bit as good as those their male counterparts were delivering on a weekly basis.

A badass with a martial arts background and experience working in Japan, she was a wrestler's wrestler at a time when it definitely was not cool.

What better way to pay homage to her influence on the sport than by allowing her to get a few spots in and bask in the spotlight the Royal Rumble will give women's wrestling?

4. Ember Moon

Imagine a scenario where the NXT women's champion, already at the top of her brand, finds the Royal Rumble so significant that she cast aside any assumptions that she has nothing to gain in favor of making history in Philadelphia. 

That is a compelling story, and one that could easily play out.

What better way to enhance Moon's stock with fans of Raw and SmackDown, who may be unfamiliar with her work in NXT, than by introducing her early in the bout and letting her have a long, iron woman-like run?

She could rack up some eliminations, deliver an Eclipse or two before being eliminated and allow the main roster competitors to continue battling. It would enhance her star and give fans a taste of the talented and energetic young performer who will one day rule the roost on either SmackDown or Raw.

It is beneficial to her, puts over the NXT Women's Championship and serves as a nice little surprise for many of the NXT faithful who would have watched her perform just 24 hours earlier in the same building.

3. Stephanie McMahon

What better way to garner heel heat than to announce a historic, first-ever women's Royal Rumble and then enter yourself in it in an attempt to steal the glory from those same women you claimed to be rewarding?

Stephanie McMahon entering herself into the match and giving fans the impression that she is the only woman capable of making history of that magnitude in her father's company would create such drama and heat that the match's overall quality would improve significantly.

The fans in Philly would treat the Billion Dollar Princess like Roman Reigns circa 2015, enraged over the idea that she would steal the spotlight from a hard-working full-timer like Bayley or Nia Jax. Her ability to manipulate the audience is already superb, but imagine her just barely surviving elimination attempt after elimination attempt and lasting until the final four, where the heat for her potential victory would be off the charts.

Say what you will about McMahon and her on-screen persona, but it lends itself to creating incredible atmospheres. This would be no different.

Should she win? Hell no, but the tease that she could is all the match would need to experience that magical, red-hot environment.

2. Lita

She may never have been the best wrestler, or the most technically sound, but Lita made women's wrestling cool again.

At a time when women were objectified, sexualized and forced into demeaning gimmick matches, Lita exploded onto the scene and started wowing fans by being this badass wrestler who could mimic the maneuvers of her male counterparts.

She approached her craft with the "anything you can do, I can do better" mentality, and the result was a level of popularity usually reserved only for the tip-top male Superstars. She was different, edgy, cool and far more influential than she seemingly gets credit for.

Without Lita's contributions and popularity, we may still live in a world where Becky Lynch and Naomi wrestle in weekly pudding matches rather than showcasing their athleticism and in-ring ability.

In a match where surprise appearances are almost guaranteed, Lita's name should be at or near the top of the list for a cameo.

1. Trish Stratus

Arguably the greatest female Superstar in the history of WWE, Trish Stratus is a seven-time women's champion and a Hall of Famer. If anyone ever belonged in a match of the first women's Royal Rumble's magnitude, it's her.

Her involvement would open up so many potential dream showdowns, including those against the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Asuka, not to mention the fact that it would boost the level of star power exponentially.

Those dream exchanges with the top in-ring performers of today would make her appearance worth it.

A match meant to serve as the latest chapter in the women's revolution, it only seems right that one of the performers so instrumental in re-establishing the value of women's wrestling in North America would be involved in it.