WWE Royal Rumble 2021: 10 Surprise Entrants We Could See
5. Rhea Ripley
In a similar boat to Damian Priest is Rhea Ripley, whose main roster call-up was described as "imminent" at roughly the same time as the former North American Champion's. Similar to Priest's bout with Karrion Kross, Ripley's Last Woman Standing loss to Raquel Gonzalez was her last on the brand, as she was booked to make NXT's next big female monster heel look strong before leaving the Capitol Wrestling Center.
It's about time. Though she suffered from some truly wretched booking in 2020, particularly when reduced to a whimpering sulker in the wake of her WrestleMania 37 defeat to Charlotte Flair, Ripley is unlike anyone else on WWE's main roster. Blessed with size, skill, assertive promo skills, and a commanding presence that can't be taught, she feels like something close to a total package - and she's still only 24 years old. Frighteningly, Rhea may not even be at her best yet.
Ripley was revealed as one of the Rumble's betting favourites when the first set of odds were released last week. If WWE has balls on 31 January, they will hotshot her to the top with a win, as they should have done with Shayna Baszler in 2020.