WWE: 6 superstars who could win the battle royal to challenge Bayley at SummerSlam

Naomi

While we could certainly see a competitor from Raw make the jump to SmackDown or a big main roster debut for someone from NXT, the superstars of SmackDown are certainly just as eager to use this battle royal to earn a shot at SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Unlike everyone else on this list, Naomi has challenged Bayley for the title during her current reign.

However, one of those times was as part of a Five-Way Elimination Match at WrestleMania 36. The other was at WWE’s most recent Saudi Arabia Blood Money event, which isn’t the kind of one-on-one PPV title match that Naomi deserves.

As many fans have vocally stated as of late, Naomi absolutely deserves better in WWE, and a win in this battle royal could change her fortunes in a huge way. Naomi carries momentum, having recently vanquished Lacey Evans, and a win here could put her on the path to being a three-time SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Mickie James

The final option here would certainly be the most shocking, as we could see a huge return by 6-time WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James. We haven’t seen Mickie James in a WWE ring since the Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35. Less than two months later, James suffered a devastating torn ACL at a live event.

Going down to injury, James was expected to need 7 to 9 months to recover. That could’ve put her on the path to return between February and April of this year. Of course, nothing in WWE during that time period was going according to plan. With the ongoing global pandemic, it would be no surprise if WWE held off on bringing back Mickie James despite her being ready.

If she has indeed been medically cleared, we could see a huge return on SmackDown if Mickie James were to win the battle royal. It’s also important to note that while James’ WWE contract was previously reported to have been set to expire in December of 2019, WWE can freeze contracts of injured superstars until they return to action.

That means, even if James hasn’t signed a new contract, she could still have nearly six months left with her current deal. James even teased an interest in the battle royal on Twitter. Could the veteran put herself right back on the path to championship gold?