Sasha Banks has made her return to SmackDown.
For nearly four weeks, Sasha Banks has been sidelined due to an injury that occurred during a live house show on Jan. 2. Shortly after on Jan. 8, WWE officially confirmed an injury to her foot and that she would be out six to eight weeks which would have had her miss the Royal Rumble. Now it looks like The Blueprint is back and Rumble bound.
In an opening segment for the last show before the Royal Rumble event, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair entered the ring. She stated that she would become the first champion to win the Rumble match and then go on to WrestleMania to choose a champion of her choosing. After taunting the Kansas City crowd it didn’t take long for other rumble participants to make their way out to the ring. She was interrupted first by Shayna Baszler but then Aliyah, Natalya, and Shotzi joined the conversation.
After Flair boasting that no one in the ring, locker room or arena could win the Rumble over her, the music of Sasha Banks hit. Banks made her way out to the ring and with nobody but Aliyah excited to see her, she was a woman of very few words as she said she is back and ready to rumble.
Banks would slap Flair before exiting onto the apron. The other four women in the ring start to brawl with Aliyah being the last one standing before Flair enters and hits a big boot causing Aliyah to roll out to the floor. Now with only The Queen left in the ring, The Boss re-enters the ring and tosses Flair over the top rope to end the segment.
Banks confirming herself for the Rumble makes her 22 out of the 30 women that have been announced for tomorrow’s match. Sonya Deville declared herself as the 23rd entrant later on in the night after losing to Naomi.
The full list can be seen below –
Sasha Banks, Sonya Deville, Naomi, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Shayna Baszler, Nikki A.S.H., Shotzi, Natalya, Aliyah, Tamina, Lita, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, Summer Rae, The Bella Twins, 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke, IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Mickie James, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Carmella and Queen Zelina, SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, and 7 more TBD.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for a Royal Rumble Discussion Post live during the event on Saturday, Jan. 29.