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

6. Trish Stratus Vs. Jazz (2002)

becky lynch charlotte
WWE

An early favourite from a fondly-remembered period for the females, the title clash between Jazz and Trish Stratus highlighted a turning point for the beleaguered women's division that had collapsed in the summer of 2001 after existing champion Chyna and WWE parted ways.

Unexpectedly winning the vacant championship at Survivor Series the previous November, Trish Stratus shifted her attention away from bikini photoshoots and into aggressively improving her in-ring style, preparing to carry the entire division as it attempted another relaunch.

On the same night Stratus would seal her first title victory, Jazz would make her WWE debut, immediately announcing herself as the biggest threat in the division having wrestled women and men during a highly-rated tenure in ECW.

Playing off of Stratus' injured hand and a lingering tension between Jazz and referee Jacqueline, the two worked a brief but impressive match, highlighting the potential for the division away from bra-and-panties matches, carefully guarded under the new tutelage of WCW escapee Dave 'Fit' Finlay.

Delivering her Statusfaction bulldog for a crowd-pleasing win, Trish used the contest as a statement of intent, and would build off the match to become one of WWE's breakout stars in a disappointing 2002.

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