The Royal Rumble is less than two months away. The road to WrestleMania is quickly approaching and the pieces that led to the biggest show in pro wrestling start at the annual pay-per-view. WWE has a stacked roster and exploring the potential match-ups that could take place at WrestleMania is exciting. These are the five names I chose who would be the perfect candidate for either the WWE World Championship or WWE Women’s Championship. Let’s get started with the first name:
Roxanne Perez
Roxanne Perez doesn’t need to be in NXT anymore. In fact, she could’ve been called up earlier last year. However, allowing the NXT Women’s Champion to showcase what she can do as a heel has done wonders for her act. The thing about Roxanne Perez is that she’s a dynamic performer; she can play heel against Rhea Ripley or babyface against Nia Jax.
I’ve always been a fan of the David vs. Goliath angle. It would work perfectly against Jax since the size difference is highly noticeable. I suspect that Roxanne is going to drop the belt to Giulia at New Year’s Evil. Should that happen then creative would be wise to start the process of turning her babyface.
Roxanne Perez vs. Rhea Ripley is an intriguing match, but it would be preferable if the latter were the heel, not Perez. Granted, it could be fun to see David (or whatever the female version of David is) as a pesty heel, akin to when Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against the Big Show in 2011. Bryan was an amazing heel during this time, but I’m concerned that WWE may make Ripley too dominant again as if they were in the Liv Morgan feud.
I completely expect Tiffany Stratton to cash in and win the WWE Women’s Championship. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be on Nia Jax. There are so many directions that you can go with either the RAW or Smackdown champion with Perez, which is why she’s perfect to win. Plus, we need some fresh blood in the main event scene and I think she deserves to be given a shot at the top.
Iyo Sky
Iyo Sky is hot as a babyface right now. That’s because the former WWE Women’s Champion has tons of charisma even though creative went the lazy route in turning Sky face. Nevertheless, there’s been some tease of a future Sky/Ripley match, and WrestleMania is the perfect setting for it. No one has to be a heel, though I do recognize that WWE has often struggled to tell a face vs. face story. Jax vs. Sky is a possibility too, but a match against Ripley is much more appealing.
This would be a story where WWE can’t rely on Rhea Ripley being so dominant. There needs to be more sides shown about the RAW star and pairing her against Iyo Sky would allow creative to tap into that potential. That doesn’t mean her power can’t be a factor within the match as this would likely be a speed vs. power type bout; it just means that Ripley can’t dominate Sky at nearly every turn in the lead-up to their WrestleMania match.
Bianca Belair
I know Bianca Belar is a previous Royal Rumble winner, but Bianca Belar vs. Rhea Ripley is too much of a money match to pass on. This time, with the former being a heel. Belair was an excellent heel in NXT and it’s time for her character to change as she’s essentially been playing the same bland babyface since her long Women’s title run.
There’s just not much to do with her as a face, whereas Ripley’s run (as a face) is still fresh. Plus, these two have star power backing them. Like Sky, it forces creative to think outside of the box when scripting this feud.
Unlike Sky, Belair has been pushed as a powerhouse as well, so she can’t be rag-dolled easily like Sky or Morgan. Either way, a big WrestleMania match against the biggest female stars to come out of NXT in the last five years has been a rivalry in the making since Bianca was called up in 2020.
Nikki Cross
I like the ties that Rhea Ripley and Nikki Cross share. These two did hold the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles together at one point. There’s an interesting story to tell beyond something traditional. It’s a shame that we haven’t gotten much of the Wyatt Sicks in 2024 as the level of storytelling is captivating anytime this group pops up. This may feel like the least WrestleMania match out of all the picks since Nikki hasn’t been pushed as something serious in years, but it’s the one that can be the most innovative and fun in terms of storytelling.
Giulia
I like the idea of champion vs. champion. There’s a strong chance that Giulia is winning at New Year’s Evil. To be honest, she doesn’t particularly need to be in NXT. Her character could use more dimension, but she’s a great wrestler with charisma. I would lean towards Ripley vs. Giulia for this one. A big reason that this article has mainly focused on Ripley is because it feels that Tiffany Stratton is guaranteed to take the belt from Nia Jax.
However if WWE really wants to put Jax over, she could face Giulia and win the match. There’s also the interesting scenario of Stratton cashing in to make it Triple Threat, and she has the option to win both the NXT and WWE Women’s titles since both belts would be on the line. Jax/Giulia has more appeal now. Giulia doesn’t have to win at WrestleMania, but giving her a big spotlight match against one of the two champions is a great way to introduce her to the bigger WWE audience.