WWE Royal Rumble 2021 Full Match Card Predictions
By Mark Justice
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Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bianca Belair [SmackDown Women’s Championship]
Since Sasha Banks decisively retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella at TLC, she should have a new challenger. The only singles stars left in the SmackDown Women’s Division that have enough momentum to battle Banks for the SmackDown Women’s Championship are Bianca Belair and Bayley. Since the latter already lost twice to Banks since losing the title, Belair would be the ideal option here.
It is understandable that Belair may have squandered her title opportunity by losing to Bayley on last week’s go-home SmackDown episode. However, Bayley did rake Belair’s eyes to pick up her first victory sine August, so this victory was nefarious enough to protect Belair’s momentum and set her up for a rematch in what could be billed as a number one contender’s match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
This is where Belair would pick up her redemptive victory over Bayley. If Belair defeated Bayley last week, it would not have been as meaningful, especially since Bayley had recently lost to Natalya. Now that Bayley already got a victory over Belair, Belair will have to dig down deeper to defy Bayley’s underhanded tactics and punch her ticket to her first-ever championship match on the main roster in what would be a dream match in the making against Banks.
While many would want this match to wait until Mania, there’s no harm in striking while the iron is hot with Belair, a breakout star who has barely been used since getting called up to the main roster. They can always have a rematch at Mania, but a match at the Rumble would plant the seeds for that epic bout and elicit an even bigger fight feel for the grandest stage of them all, where moments are usually brought to fruition.
Although Banks is not losing her championship anytime soon after dethroning the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion in history, there’s no doubt that Belair will receive the ‘rub here with a strong showing on a proving ground that will showcase her capability of leading the women’s division in the future. Expect this match to steal the show, if the WWE is smart enough to book it for what is one of the big four PPVs.
Prediction: Sasha Banks
Asuka & Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax [Women’s Tag Team Championships]
Asuka and Charlotte Flair dethroned Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions at TLC, allowing Charlotte to reach grand slam status. However, this title reign won’t last for long since it is clear that Charlotte primarily wants to target Asuka’s Raw Women’s Championship. She will turn on Asuka to cost them the championships in what would be the spark to the build up of their WrestleMania 34 rematch at WrestleMania 37.
Indeed, Asuka lost her undefeated streak to Charlotte Flair in a SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 34. Asuka can now redeem herself against the superstar who ended her streak three years ago. Asuka has never won a match at WrestleMania, so a WrestleMania moment should be in store for her as she aims to retain the Raw Women’s Championship that Becky Lynch bestowed upon her against fellow Horsewoman, Charlotte Flair.
As for Baszler and Jax, many fans expected this makeshift tag team to break up since the tag team championships were the only championships that kept them together. However, that does not seem to be the case after they defeated Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke on Raw to regain their momentum. The fact that they are still together is a strong sign that they are winning back the Women’s Tag Team Championships at the Royal Rumble and going into Mania as champs.
Prediction: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax