There were a number of viable outcomes for this one, but Bayley winning was clearly the best choice. She’s never won the Rumble before, so giving her that victory keeps her up there with the rest of the Horsewomen (at least the ones who still work there), and the fact that she entered at #3 allowed her to put in the longest-ever showing in the women’s Rumble, which is a big accolade even if it was just an accident of the match reportedly going over time.

But more than that, Bayley was the right choice just because she’s the only woman who’s had a clear long-running storyline that benefits strongly from her victory. The win puts her in direct conflict with WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and almost certainly sets up, at long last, a split between Bayley and the faction she founded, Damage CTRL. Sure, Becky Lynch or Jade Cargill or Liv Morgan could have won, but none of those victories would have added as much punch to a story as Bayley’s victory did. Plus, she just straight-up deserved it.

Grade: A+