1. THE BLACK SHEEP
Finally are the stone cold shockers, where if any of these women showed up, I would scream and have to flail myself from tearing up. In the past, male superstars like Diesel, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley and Rob Van Dam have all made shocking returns at the Rumble, but all were pipped to the post by AJ Styles who many thought would never enter a WWE ring. All of these appearances highlight that with the Rumble, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Those stars who you thought were out and never going to be in WWE just might make that surprise.
Our first big surprise would be Emma. Recently released on October, there have been rumours stating that she was released due to clashes with the writers. You all voted if the WTF Moment of 2017 and we all agreed here. Being used as the scapegoat is never the way to be treated and rumours went round that her release was a lesson to the other wrestlers. If the storm has calmed since then, the return of WWE’s first Australian ‘Diva’ would be an extremely well received one.
2017 saw the return of Mickie James, Maryse and Maria Kanellis-Bennett. Another name linked to that era that many wanted to see the return was Melina. Last Summer, Melina’s name was swirling as one of the veterans being brought back to pad out the SmackDown roster. The only thing is… Shelton Benjamin returned, Curt Hawkins returned, Mickie James returned… but Melina didn’t.
While it seems that Melina became well-liked towards the end of her run in WWE, she did initially ruffle some feathers up the wrong way and you can’t help but think if that remains a factor. She was known for clashing with the likes of Candice Michelle, Maria and Sharmell and infamously having to go to ‘Wrestler’s Court’. However, the locker room culture seems to have changed, so fast forward to 2018 and imagine that Paparazzi guitar note and Melina shocking us all by making her return. She stated on Lilian’s ‘Chasing Glory’ podcast that she was considering retirement, but I’m sure we would love one more appearance! We’ve been dying to see a Mickie and Melina reunion, so this could be the time we actually get it!
“All Red Everything herself… Ms. Eva MARIEEE!” Say what you want about Eva Marie, but the crowd would boo her out the building if she returned, but that’s exactly why she’d be great if she made a return. Eva left the WWE on a weird note, getting suspended, sending crude tweets regarding the incident and then vanishing off TV until her contract ran out. However, we all know that she was definitely a big investment for the WWE, literally training her from scratch to become one of the biggest heel magnets in years. She recently spoke up against Mia Khalifa in a Complex interview about pro-wrestling, so it looks like the bug is still in there. One more time at the Rumble?
Our next prediction is definitely one that may be very far fetched, but also completely possible. Our NEW and current GFW Knockouts Champion, Laurel Van Ness. She previously took part in the Brie Bella VS Stephanie McMahon feud, she’s dating SmackDown superstar Zack Ryder and and also took part in Tough Enough Season 6 – the same season as Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. She’s been around the WWE radar for awhile and maybe this could be that time to make the jump?
Rumours went around that Ms. LVN has requested her release from GFW, despite winning the Championship for the first time, but she went to confirm that she is contracted until June. While there could be an array of reasons why she’s requested her release, one can’t help but speculate that the WWE contract could be on the cards. If you want a shocker and a Rumble with a bang, then stealing the rival’s Champion is certainly one way to do it… better yet, imagine if she could pull an ‘Alundra Blayze’ and bring that Knockouts Championship belt with her… now that’s a fantasy booking!
Finally, this prediction is probably someone who would never appear, but would also be an amazing addition. AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode are currently 3 of the biggest names in WWE, but we all know that it was their exposure in TNA that people got to see their star potential. Just as popular in them in TNA was Gail Kim. Unfortunately, she crossed the line and moved in WWE in 2008 when the Divas Division was severely slacking behind the Knockouts Division that she left behind.
By 2011, Gail was fed up with how restricted the women were and eliminated herself from a battle royal and walked out of the WWE. (That’s a boss move!) She has stated that she would never go back to WWE and in 2017 she ended her illustrious career as a TNA Hall of Famer and record breaking 7 time Knockouts Champion… making her technically a free agent.
As we have said – the Rumble is known for its unpredictability. Gail has completed everything she needed to do on Impact and seems to be done with in-ring work. She has also mentioned recently on Lilian Garcia’s ‘Chasing Glory’ podcast that she isn’t interested in taking part due to injuries and a leaving on a bad note. But take a second and just imagine… Gail makes her return at the Rumble, kicks some ass and then becomes a trainer for the girls in NXT. It’very wishful thinking, but as we always know in wrestling, ‘never say never””…
Overall, we are all excited for the Rumble and we know that whoever takes those last 11 slots will be a pleasant shock for all of us. We will we stalking everyone’s social media like hawks to see if anyone drops any hints and feel free to come back to this list on January to see how many we got right!
Is there anyone obvious that we have missed off the list? Do you think we are completely wrong with some of them? Maybe you don’t even think there should be 30 women in the Rumble? Whatever your views, sound off in the comments below and watch out for the next Fast 5!
