Rhea Ripley wins women’s WWE Royal Rumble match


Rhea Ripley is going to WrestleMania.
After entering the match at number one, Ripley went the distance to win the women’s Royal Rumble match at Saturday’s pay-per-view. Ripley, Liv Morgan, and the returning Asuka were the final three wrestlers left at the end of the match.
Asuka went to spit mist into Ripley’s face when all three were on the apron, but she accidentally hit Morgan. Ripley then eliminated Asuka. Morgan tried to fight on despite being blinded by the mist, but Ripley eliminated her to get the victory.
#RoyalRumble just became RHEA RUMBLE!@RheaRipley_WWE has won the Women's Royal Rumble Match from the number 1️⃣ spot and now … MAMI IS GOING TO #WRESTLEMANIA!!! pic.twitter.com/5zWrk4QwKN
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2023
Ripley and Morgan both started and ended the match. They each lasted more than an hour, with Ripley setting the record for the longest time anyone has ever spent in a women’s Royal Rumble match.
Ripley had six eliminations during the match and was also involved in eliminating Nia Jax, who returned to WWE for the first time since being released in November 2021. There was a spot during the Rumble where Ripley laid out Jax with Riptide.
RIPTIDE TO NIA JAX!@RheaRipley_WWE wows us all in the 2023 Women's #RoyalRumble Match! pic.twitter.com/0WydgHhhnQ
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2023
Earlier in the night, there was a moment during the men’s Rumble where Beth Phoenix gave Ripley a spear on the stage. Phoenix was getting revenge after being hit with a con-chair-to by Ripley at Extreme Rules last October. Edge returned during the men’s Rumble and continued his feud with Judgment Day.
Beth Phoenix hitting Rhea Ripley with a spear #RoyalRumble pic.twitter.com/Mm0L9U8vsu
— Covalent TV (@TheCovalentTV) January 29, 2023
WWE hasn’t revealed which Women’s title Ripley will be challenging for at WrestleMania 39. Bianca Belair is the current Raw Women’s Champion and Charlotte Flair is the current SmackDown Women’s Champion.
WrestleMania 39 is taking place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2.