Bianca Belair Eliminates Rhea Ripley to Win 2021 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Bianca Belair won the 2021 WWE women’s Royal Rumble match Sunday night, meaning she will challenge for either the Raw or SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37 in April.

The EST of WWE entered the match at No. 3 and last eliminated Rhea Ripley to score the biggest victory of her young career. She is just the fourth wrestler to win a women’s Rumble match, joining Asuka, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in that exclusive group.

Belair, Ripley, Flair and Natalya made up the final four in the ring. The Queen of Harts had drawn the No. 30 slot, leaving her pretty fresh for the finish. She didn’t last too long, though, with Belair dumping her out over the top rope.

Belair and Ripley teamed up to target Flair, eventually sending her packing as well.

That set up a dramatic head-to-head battle between Belair and Ripley. The SmackDown Superstar was ultimately the final woman standing, setting a record in the process by lasting nearly 57 minutes in the match.

The EST of WWE made her Royal Rumble debut last year and impressed while lasting over 35 minutes and making eight eliminations, which was tied for the most in the match with Shayna Baszler.

Belair was called up to the main roster after WrestleMania 36 last year, and while she never saw consistent television time on Raw, it has been a different story since she moved to SmackDown as part of the WWE draft.

Along with Sasha Banks, Bayley and Carmella, she has been a focal point of the blue brand’s women’s division in recent months, and she had a ton of momentum on her side entering the Rumble match.

She has been engaged in a feud with Bayley, as the former SmackDown women’s champion has set out to prove she is the true EST, leading to matches and even an obstacle course challenge.

Putting Belair into a rivalry with Bayley was a sign that WWE had big plans for her, as The Role Model was coming off a yearlong reign with the title.

Belair has been tabbed as a future megastar ever since she debuted on NXT television in May 2017, and with a Royal Rumble win under her belt, the future is now.

While things can change between now and WrestleMania on April 10-11, Belair is currently in line to challenge Sasha Banks or Asuka, and either of those matches would be huge. 

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