‘The Traitors’ Star Returns to WWE Among Other Huge Surprises in Women’s Royal Rumble Find help us

The 2025 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble was packed with unexpected twists, surprise returns, and huge debuts that sent the Indianapolis crowd into a frenzy, and this year’s match delivered on the chaos, the drama, and, of course, the eliminations. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest surprises that shook the ring ropes. In perhaps the night’s most buzzworthy moment, Nikki Bella, fresh off her stint on The Traitors, made her shocking return as the #30 entrant. She went toe-to-toe with new talent like Roxanne Perez — who set a record for the longest time spent in a Rumble match — and had an intense face-off with Nia Jax, proving she still had the fearless spark that made her a fan favorite.

Another huge fan favorite returned, too. After a two-year hiatus, Alexa Bliss returned as entrant #21, receiving a massive pop from the crowd. The multi-time champion brought her signature dark aesthetic — though mercifully ditched that Lily doll before hitting the ring. Bliss showed she hadn’t missed a beat, dishing out twisted DDTs and eliminating competitors with ruthless precision before being shockingly eliminated by Liv Morgan, much to the crowd’s dismay.

And if anyone thought we’d get through a Rumble without a Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus entered at #25, bringing a wave of nostalgia as she delivered Stratusfaction to anyone in her path. Meanwhile, Former TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace made her surprise WWE debut, entering at #19 and wowing the crowd with power moves, including putting the much larger Piper Niven on her shoulders and delivering a Death Valley Driver. WWE confirmed during commentary that Grace is now officially signed, and based on her reception, she’s poised for big things.

Who Won the Women’s Royal Rumble?

And after 70 grueling minutes, the returning Charlotte Flair stood tall as the winner of the 2025 Women’s Royal Rumble, eliminating Nia Jax and Roxanne Perez to secure her spot at WrestleMania. Flair was making her first appearance since 2023, having been out that whole time with injury, and celebrated with pyro lighting up the arena (because of course it did — it’s Charlotte). Charlotte will now have her pick between Tiffany Stratton or Rhea Ripley to face at WrestleMania, and we’re pretty sure she’s going after Stratton.

WWE Royal Rumble can be watched on Peacock in the United States, or on Netflix internationally. Tune in to WWE Raw on Monday at 8 PM ET on Netflix to find out what happens next on the road to WrestleMania.