10 Expectations Vs. Reality For WWE Royal Rumble 2021

3. The Women's Royal Rumble Is Won By...

Daniel Bryan Brock Lesnar
WWE

Expectation:

Not Charlotte Flair. Surely.

Surely WWE learned their lesson last year, when Charlotte's Rumble win torpedoed the momentum of the only person who made people want to watch NXT.

In fact, the winner has to be Rhea Ripley herself. It makes sense, at least in WWE's customary "Bury the talent that was already made to drive some passé redemption angle" way. Of course, that will mean Charlotte Flair dethroning Asuka over the coming months, but WWE somewhat conveniently appears to have given up on the reigning RAW Women's Champion altogether. So f*ck her, right?

Alternatively, one might expect the emerging Bianca Belair to point at the WrestleMania sign, if only because catchphrases are considered more important than authentic human beings and there's an 'EST' bang in the middle of the brand name. Also she's really good and very marketable.

But, more importantly, there's an 'EST' in the middle of the name of the pay-per-view.

Reality:

With a tear in her eye - likely because WWE is booking her to be a complete ar*ehole towards her beloved father - it's Charlotte Flair!

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!