Rhea Ripley Is WWE’s Best Choice To Dethrone Bianca Belair As Raw Women’s Champion
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WWE’s women’s division is being bolstered by the week with Triple H at the helm of the company, with new names being brought in constantly. Both Raw and SmackDown have desperately needed this, especially with there being a lack of challengers at times, and a tendency for rematches. Bianca Belair is the current Raw Women’s Champion, and her reign has gone brilliantly thus far. However, at some point, she will have to lose the gold. Looking at the current roster, there are a few potential names who could eventually win the prize, but the best choice for that moment is Rhea Ripley.
Bianca Belair Is Having A Great Reign As Raw Women’s Champion
At WrestleMania 38, Bianca Belair overcame Becky Lynch after a six month journey for redemption, becoming Raw Women’s Champion for the first time. Since her classic with Lynch, she has defeated the likes of Asuka, Sonya Deville, Zelina Vega, Carmella, Bayley, and Becky Lynch again. Perhaps her biggest threat thus far has been Bayley, who is still in and around the title scene on Raw, backed by her Damage CTRL faction of Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai.
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Although Bayley is a big name coming back from a long-term injury, she is someone who doesn’t need to defeat Belair, as she is an established name right now in her own right, and it would serve better to the women’s division to add Bayley to the list of names that Belair has defeated during her time as Raw Women’s Champion. Belair truly feels like a star at this point, managing to escape the shadow that the Four Horsewomen have cast over WWE throughout the last seven years, with it often being difficult for others to retain spots at the top of the card due to other big stars and names. It is important though to not squander Belair’s reign on yet another Four Horsewomen title win. Instead, it should help to elevate someone else.
Rhea Ripley Is On The Brink Of Stardom In WWE
Rhea Ripley is on fire at the moment, with her truly being the standout member of the Judgment Day faction. Her performances have been stellar, her promo work has improved by a considerable amount, and she is looking more and more dominant each and every week, with details such as manhandling the likes of Luke Gallows adding to her momentum. She is certainly making moments, and is also beginning to look and act like a real star.
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For quite a while, it felt as though WWE had either given up or completely failed on Ripley. After losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36, and after a brief yet uninspiring Raw Women’s Title reign a year later in which WWE couldn’t decide if she was heel or face, she fell right down the card into the poorly booked tag team division, which saw her on the receiving end of the awful booking at the time under Vince McMahon, with quick matches and roll-up losses.
In terms of potential and age, there is perhaps no one in as good a position as Ripley is, with her still just being 26 years of age and already looking like a complete performer. She is primed to fully break out at some point as a defined star in the women’s division, and overcoming the dominant and successful title reign of Bianca Belair is the right way to capitalize on her current form and to ascend up the card.
A Rivalry Between Bianca Belair And Rhea Ripley Could Be A Classic
Bianca Belair vs Rhea Ripley is a feud waiting to happen, and when it does WWE have all the tools to make it an all-timer. The pair first faced off in NXT, at a time when Ripley was at the top and Belair was someone looking to prove herself, with the roles now reversed in a dynamic which should be explored. In addition, the two were the final combatants in the 2021 Royal Rumble, which ended with Belair throwing RIpley out the match, celebrating a huge moment in her career.
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From there, Belair main evented WrestleMania, overshadowing Ripley’s title win on the same show. Ripley has every reason to show jealousy towards Belair, and a series of matches between the two could be magical. WWE should perhaps wait until WrestleMania for this matchup to make the moment huge, and they must resist the temptation of putting someone like Charlotte Flair in that position, as fans will likely not be too happy if she is the one to beat Belair, due to how many titles she has won already. WWE needs to back Ripley as much as possible, as she is someone who has such a natural ability and connection with the audience (both as a heel and a face). She should be the next Raw Women’s Champion, especially since there is perhaps no better alternative.
