Ripley, Naomi, IYO Sky Loom As Early 2027 Rumble Contenders

With the 2027 Women’s Royal Rumble still roughly three months away, the usual pre-WrestleMania chess game is already taking shape, and a handful of names stand out as plausible candidates to punch their ticket to Phoenix by winning the match outright.

Rhea Ripley sits near the top of that list, even though she’s currently sidelined. Ripley suffered a knee injury at Clash in Italy and was forced to vacate the WWE Women’s Championship she’d won at WrestleMania the year before. She did manage to wrestle two matches during WWE’s European Tour before the injury, and she’s since been advertised for appearances around WWE’s December Wrestlepalooza show in Perth. If Ripley is fully healed and back in form by Rumble season, her track record and star power make her an obvious threat to go the distance and punch another WrestleMania main-event ticket.

Naomi presents a different kind of story. She relinquished the Women’s World Championship last summer after announcing her pregnancy, meaning she’s technically never lost the title — she simply walked away from it. Naomi has been off television for more than a year, but the recent addition of Jaida Parker to the 946 faction, amid its ongoing feud with the Bloodline, has fueled speculation that Naomi’s eventual return will come as reinforcement for her former group. Should she come back and reclaim unfinished business with the title she vacated, a Rumble win would be a natural way to fast-track her back into the title picture.

Then there’s IYO Sky, whose 2026 has been a stark comedown after a 2025 campaign many considered the best in-ring year of anyone on the roster. Despite capturing the Queen of the Ring crown, Sky came up short against Liv Morgan at SummerSlam and was notably left off this year’s WrestleMania card entirely — a surprising absence for a performer of her caliber. A Royal Rumble victory would be one of the clearest ways for WWE to correct course and put her back at the center of the women’s division heading into next year’s biggest show.

None of this is set in stone, and plenty can change across three months of weekly television before the Rumble actually arrives. Injuries heal on different timelines, returns get rebooked, and new stars inevitably emerge from nowhere to crash the Rumble conversation, as they do most years. But as things stand, Ripley’s star power, Naomi’s pending comeback, and WWE’s need to properly showcase IYO Sky all make for a compelling undercurrent as the road to Phoenix begins to take shape. Expect the picture to sharpen considerably once Wrestlepalooza and the holiday-season build toward the Rumble get underway.