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Examining possible surprise participants for the SmackDown Women’s Title match at Wrestlemania

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Wrestlemania 33 is three days away and Alexa Bliss will have her hands full defending the Women’s Championship against “every woman available” on the SmackDown roster.

On Tuesday, Naomi made her return to the ring, officially entering the match set for Sunday to reclaim a title she never officially lost. And several rumors have been floating around regarding other surprise participants for this match. 

With an “every woman for herself” feel, this match is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable bouts on the card, despite it’s underwhelming placement on the pre-show. 

Let’s take a look at some possible competitors that could make their way to the ring on Sunday:

Tamina

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Tamina has been out of action on television since succumbing to an undisclosed knee injury. After repairing torn ligaments, she was medically cleared by WWE in December. Initially slated for the Raw brand, she has been teaming up on house shows in matches with fellow face cohorts Becky Lynch and Nikki Bella.

Could she make her official return on Sunday? Would she continue to be a brash body guard for someone or would she strike out on her own in search of a title reign that has eluded her this far? Regardless, SmackDown could play with reuniting Naomi and Tamina as faces or exploring the fall out from Team BAD’s disintegration. Or the girls could still be friendly while jumping into the battle ground of the women’s division where Alexa reigns supreme but everyone is vying for the upper hand. 

Tamina would thrive on the blue brand, finding her footing in a unique division with multiple stories that would give her character a second life and more chances.

Emma

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Emma is an underrated star that deserves her moment in the spotlight and a switch to SmackDown could give her character the life she deserves. She unfortunately went down with a back injury in 2016, but was medically cleared in the fall and patiently awaited the chance to re-debut. In October WWE decided to repackage her into “Emmalina.” Unfortunately Emmalina lacked any direction, with WWE airing video packages hyping up her return for four months before actually re-dubting her on Raw. 

Emmalina didn’t go over with the crowd so well, her debut fizzled out after the second or third month with no signs of the Aussie. She announced she’d be turning back into “Evil” Emma and hasn’t shown up on Raw ever since.

Is this because she’s making a surprise appearance on Sunday? Emma was recently reported to be training for her return and SmackDown would be the perfect home for the evil one.

Emma could reignite her feud with Becky or could target Mickie James in an effort to erase history once and for all. The possibilities are endless and Emma deserves another chance at a meaty feud to show off her vicious offense. 

Summer Rae

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Though Raw is teasing a General Manger role for the First Lady of NXT, Summer Rae may grab herself another new opportunity on Tuesdays. Summer has been out of action rehabbing an undisclosed injury since September but she’s been keeping herself busy and in the spotlight ever since.

Never one to sit back and wait for something to come along, Summer could enter herself in the SmackDown Women’s Title match to prove who the real feisty heel is in the division. She could target Alexa with more verbal barbs or lead the heels to gang up on the faces as they eye supremacy in the division. Summer is no stranger to stable wars, once the leader of the BFFs, she knows the way to success.

Eva Marie

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Is it possible that all this talk of Eva leaving WWE is the biggest troll move of all time? Eva hasn’t been seen back on television since her suspension in August 2016. However, Eva could make a surprise return on Sunday and garner more heat before officially exiting the wrestling world.

She could cheat her way to victory on a more experienced veteran, say Mickie or Becky, before getting eliminated from the match all together in a stunning fashion. 

Or in the biggest upset of all time, the match could work in her favor as she steals the victory in an unjust way, winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship. It may be far-fetched but the move would garner her even more heat and a babyface, perhaps Naomi would spring out to challenge her and ultimately win. 

Asuka

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No one is ready for Asuka and after a whopping 160 plus reign with the NXT Women’s Championship, she may be ready to take on the women on the main roster. If her recent appearances with the SmackDown women’s roster on house shows is any indication she may make a surprise entrance for this match on the blue brand.

Though she’d be pulling double duty since she’ll be facing Ember Moon before Wresltemania, don’t count the Empress of Tomorrow out. She could make a sweeping declaration for SmackDown’s ultimate prize and actually win, having to forfeit the NXT Championship undefeated, if she retains at TakeOver. 

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce

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Though the Iconic Duo isn’t done with NXT, Billie and/or Peyton could show up on Sunday. Frustrated with the lack of mobility in the NXT Women’s Division, the Icons could buck the system and head straight to the blue brand to claim one of the main rosters’ prestigious titles. We’ve already seen what they could do when they work together towards the same goal. There’s no rift in their friendship here. 

Expect no different if Billie and Peyton answer this open challenge on Sunday. They could steal a win and enrage the women of NXT and SmackDown in the process. 

Beth Phoenix

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This could be Beth’s night to shine after being inducted into the Hall of Fame, reuniting with Natalya to try and score a victory for the women of the past. Beth has also been training and it could be for this very moment to showcase her skills one last time. She may not win but if past stars can appear for the Royal Rumble, Beth should be able to appear for this open challenge.

After all, she is a 3 time WWE Women’s champion, 1 time WWE Diva’s champion, as well as a 2010 Royal Rumble entrant (the second woman to ever compete in the annual match). It’d really signal a “women’s revolution” if one of the most decorated women in the division could show up at any time.

Kelly Kelly

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One of the more controversial names aside from Eva that could show up is Kelly Kelly. Rumors have been circulating that she’s interested in a “mini-run” in the women’s division and she’ll be attending Axxess this week. Sunday could be her chance to return and test the waters. 

Kelly is from an era where the women were unrepresented and underutilized, if properly trained by the performance center she could have a similar role akin to Mandy Rose. It’s rumored she could take on the abandoned Emmalina role and has signed a two year contract already, though nothing has been concretely confirmed. But if she appears during this match, she’d have a host of veterans to play off of in her quest to prove herself. 

Victoria

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Another veteran that could make her return is Victoria. Her name has also surfaced in rumors surrounding WWE contacting women from past eras. Victoria helped her colleagues immensely during her initial runs with the company, though she fully hit her stride in TNA. Victoria could return on Sunday to kick off a passing of the torch moment or reunite with Mickie or Beth in reviving a bygone era that doesn’t get the respect it deserves.

Now, what do you think? Who do you think will make an appearance on Sunday for this match? Have I missed anyone? How would you book it? Sound off in the comments below. 

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