It is that time of year when the Road To Wrestlemania begins, and it begins with one of the most loved wrestling events of the year, the Royal Rumble.
The Royal Rumble match itself was the brainchild of legendary queer wrestler Pat Patterson and debuted in 1988. The rules of the match are simple. Each wrestler draws a number, usually 1 through 30. Numbers 1 and 2 start in the ring and are joined every 90 seconds or so by the next number up. People are eliminated by going over the top rope and landing on the floor, with both feet having to touch the floor. The last person left is the winner.
Originally, there was no real prize for winning. In 1992, this changed as the WWF Championship became the prize. Since 1993, the winner usually gets a title shot at Wrestlemania. Then, since 2018, there has been a women’s Royal Rumble match.
Since the move to Netflix happened earlier this month, the event will be available for more people to watch. It is due to happen on Saturday night US time, so we’ll have to catch it on Sunday, February 2.
While we wait to find out who will appear at this year’s Royal Rumble, we want to highlight some of the amazing LGBTQ+ women wrestlers, hoping we will see them fight the iconic match – this year or in the years to come.
Sonya Deville
Sonya Deville, real name Daria Rae Berenato, is a mixed martial artist, as well as a professional wrestler. She started off on WWE Tough Enough in 2015, a reality show where WWE was on the hunt for new wrestlers. It was during that series that she came out.
She was later eliminated from the show, but WWE signed her to a development contract, and she eventually started on their development brand NXT. She moved to the main roster in 2017 and her biggest success was being co-holder of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, although she had to relinquish her belt due to injury.
Deville has always been a tough competitor, but in recent years, she has also really improved as a character, in a heel (bad guy) role. She married her girlfriend, model and fitness enthusiast Toni Cassano, in February 2024. She was WWE’s first openly gay wrestler.
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Piper Niven
Piper Niven, also known as Kimberly Benson, is a Scottish wrestler. She first came to my attention as a competitor in the Mae Young Classic in 2017. The Mae Young Classic was a tournament featuring women from all over the world and not necessarily under contract with WWE. Niven reached the semi-final.
Then, she went on to appear on the UK development brand, NXT UK, starting in 2019 and moving to the main roster in 2021. She took over Sonya Deville’s spot as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, her only championship so far. Piper also has a very unique look, which highlights how the WWE has moved away from just hiring based on image and has created a more diverse roster.
Piper is a great wrestler and, at 33, has a lot of time to have more success. She came out as bisexual on Celebrate Bisexual Day in 2019.
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Shayna Baszler
A former kickboxer and mixed martial artist, during her MMA career, Shayna Baszler developed a reputation for her skills as a submission grappler. She made her WWE debut in Mae Young Classic in 2017, reaching the final. Then, she debuted in NXT in 2017. She rose quickly through the ranks, winning the NXT Women’s Championship the following year. She would hold the title twice, and joined the main roster in 2021.
She went on to win the Women’s Elimination Chamber match in February, which meant she got a match against Becky Lynch for her women’s title at Wrestlemania 36. She has been a three-time Women’s Tag Team Champion but has yet to win a single title. During her time on NXT, she presented as a tough bad guy. She is currently in a heel group with Sonya Deville.
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Toni Storm
Toni Storm, real name Toni Rossall, is a New Zealand-born wrestler. Like Piper Niven and Shayna Baszler, she started to gain the public’s attention during the Mae Young Classic in 2017, where she reached the semi-final. She then won the 2018 version and went on to reach the final of the tournament to crown the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Champion. She lost to Rhea Ripley but eventually defeated her for that title.
Storm then moved to NXT and on to the main roster in 2021. However, she left the WWE soon after as she didn’t feel appreciated by the company. She moved to their rival All-Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2022 and eventually won the AEW Women’s World Championship, holding the title for 281 days.
Her “rockstar” persona made her a fan favourite, but it is her time as “Timeless” Toni Storm that has brought her the most success. Her character is that of a demanding and paranoid Golden Age of Hollywood starlet. Toni came out as bisexual in 2021, and this has formed part of her new persona.
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Nyla Rose
Nyla Rose is a Native American and African-American transgender wrestler. She gained popularity shortly after the launch of AEW in early 2019. She became the first openly transgender wrestler signed to a major American professional wrestling promotion and quickly became the first to win a world championship. She won the AEW Women’s World Championship in early 2020, holding it for over 100 days.
Her dominant persona as the “Native Beast” made her stand out among the other wrestlers. Even though she has won their world title, some feel like AEW has underutilised her, and she could be a big star in WWE. Another passion of her is comics and she co-wrote the comic Giant-Size X-Men: Thunderbird #1 with queer writer, and wrestling fan, Steve Orlando.
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This is our list of fierce LGBTQ+ women wrestlers we’d love to see at the Royal Rumble, be it in 2025 or the years to come. Is there anyone you think should be added to the list?
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