The next step in elevating women's wrestling in the 21st century

It had been but a rumor for a few weeks. Then, on Monday, it became a reality.

"It", in this case, is the announcement of a women's Royal Rumble match at the namesake PPV on January 28 in Philadelphia. To correct Raw commissioner/WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, the current women's revolution began in July 2015. For some reason, WWE likes to round off to the nearest number, as if history were up for bids on The Price is Right. As with the men, competitors from both Raw & Smackdown, and some likely special guests, will vie for an opportunity to compete for a women's championship for one of the two main brands at Wrestlemania 34 in  New Orleans on April 8.

To my knowledge, only three women have competed in the main Royal Rumble match in the course of 30 years, the last being Kharma (Kia Stevens, aka Awesome Kong) a few short years ago. Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix and the late Chyna were the others, Chyna being the first in 1999. I may be wrong about the exact number, though.

Anyway, in somewhat edited form, here's Stephanie's announcement. She says it was 3 years since the revolution began, but that's WWE spin doctoring for you.



Already, some internet wise guys, aware that Stephanie fluctuates her character between heel & babyface on any given night, are thinking the heiress to the empire will suit up and compete, not content that husband Triple H has won 2 Rumbles (2002, 2016), and that her father won the 1999 Rumble under questionable circumstances. I say, no, that's not going to happen. She's content with shepherding the current women's roster, despite what her detractors will tell you to the contrary.

Gone are the days when women wrestlers were treated as second class or worse. The work that Triple H has done in shepherding NXT in recent years includes some ground-breaking women's matches, headlining the Takeover periodic specials on WWE Network. Sasha Banks & Charlotte Flair have headlined Raw and the 2016 Hell in a Cell event. Stephanie, in fact, was one of the first women to headline Raw, losing the women's title to Lita in August 2000, but that milestone has long been forgotten, or so WWE spin doctors would have you believe.

Will a women's match be the headliner at Wrestlemania? That's the next, perhaps final, step.