10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE Royal Rumble 2021

6. Making A Surprise Entrance In The Women's Rumble Match Is...

Daniel Bryan Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

Expectation:

WWE has always phoned the women of yesteryear come January time, which is odd, since for the preceding three years before the company promoted a Women's Rumble match WWE essentially objectified them even more in retrospect to get the Women's Revolution over.

"These new women can work, and they don't have to get 'em out to get a reaction!"

Trish Stratus famously entered a great throwback performance highlighted by an awesome moment with Sasha Banks in 2018. Trish mimicked Sasha's pose, Sasha could barely contain her glee, and they provided a lovely glimpse into a dream match. In effect, in the very first Women's Rumble, they crystallised its brilliance as a genre. Michelle McCool was terrific in it, too, quietly settling the jitters of the field to enter a performance as commanding as it was eye-catching.

NXT's stacked Women's roster have also made their presence felt since 2018, but it can't be determined whether 2021 will see the likes of Io Shirai and Candice LeRae make blistering cameos. Is it a case of "It would be irresponsible to mix bubbles" or "F*ck it, we're not beating AEW, let's just continue to leach on Wednesdays"?

Reality:

Santina Marella!

You see, it's funny because the character is actually played by a man.

A man, in a wig, with a funny-a voice-a!

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!