Every WWE Royal Rumble Women's Match - Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Melina Vs. Beth Phoenix (2009)

becky lynch charlotte
WWE

One of the more engaging women's matches in WWE history, Beth Phoenix and Melina had developed tremendous chemistry regularly working together in their combined seven years together in WWE, and their 2009 Championship match subsequently remains an underrated gem.

Going nearly double the length of an ECW Title match on the same show, Beth and Melina entered in a fantastic display, going just under thirteen minutes and dazzling the crowd with a prolonged heat section on underdog Melina before her surprise victory over 'The Glamazon'.

Telling the story of Phoenix's dominance over Melina (and the women of WWE in general), Beth was relentless in her attack on her opponent, particularly during an eye-watering spot where Melina was bent so forcefully in a leglock that Beth could use her own foot to kick her in the head, adding insult to injury.

Humorously playing cheerleader on the outside, Santino Marella urged Beth to end the histrionics and 'finish' Melina, but Phoenix did not heed his unusually sage advice.

Coming alive for the head kicks and Melina's eventual escape, the fans were emotionally drawn in to 'The Scream Queen's quest from that point, and erupted when she caught Phoenix with a roll-up to spring a huge upset and her third Women's Championship.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett