3 directions for Rhea Ripley after her Historic win at WWE WrestleMania 39
Rhea Ripley made history at WWE WrestleMania 39 by defeating Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. The Eradicator put The Queen away after an epic war with an Avalanche Riptide to become the 7th Triple Crown and 5th Grand Slam women's champion in history. She also became the only woman to win the RAW, SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK championships.
After avenging her WrestleMania 36 loss to Flair, Ripley is finally ready to have a proper main event reign to solidify her as a top star in the women's division. The Nightmare walks into a SmackDown roster full of fresh opponents with more to potentially come by draft. What's next for the blue brand's new champion?
Here are three possible directions for Rhea Ripley after her SmackDown Women's championship win at WrestleMania 39:
#3: Rhea Ripley leaves The Judgment Day on WWE RAW
Rhea Ripley's SmackDown Women's Championship win poses an interesting conundrum for WWE. The Nightmare is now a resident of the blue brand, but her Judgment Day stablemates are still on RAW. Could it be time for her and the faction to part ways?
The group's purpose was to get its members "over," and it has certainly achieved that for Ripley. She was propelled from a potential main eventer to the biggest heel in the division by her work in the faction. Now that the purpose of the alliance has been served, it could be time to go solo.
#2: The Judgment Day comes with Rhea Ripley to WWE SmackDown
GANG WAR.
#SmackDown #WWE https://t.co/Wn5t15Pnkj
With all of the above being said, The Judgment Day has always allowed its members to thrive as individuals. Staying in the faction wouldn't necessarily hurt Rhea Ripley. As a women's champion, she may not be ringside for all the group's matches anymore, but she can still benefit from them.
For one, having Dominik Mysterio do her bidding would give her an extra layer of heel menace and protection. Finn Balor and Damian Priest could also benefit from having fresh feuds on SmackDown, each getting the singles push they richly deserve. The Judgment Day is one of the most popular acts in WWE, and Ripley's change of roster doesn't necessarily have to spell the end of their alliance.
In the event of a draft, the group could be reunited on Friday Nights.
#1: Rhea Ripley turns babyface post-WrestleMania 39
#MamiMania https://t.co/gyR6hQGUKN
Nobody can deny that Rhea Ripley is one of the most popular WWE Superstars today. Despite playing a villain, The Nightmare often gets crowds cheering with her awesome strength, engaging personality and in-ring prowess. Throughout her feud with Charlotte Flair, who is officially a babyface, Ripley often received more cheers than her counterpart.
This is why WWE might consider turning "Mami" babyface after her exploits at WrestleMania 39. This is unlikely to happen because the rest of her faction are thriving as heels, and Dominik Mysterio in particular still needs his Mami by his side. Sooner or later, though, the company will have to capitalize on her popularity, even if it means splitting her from The Judgment Day.
At the very least, a tweener role similar to that of other popular groups like DX would fit her and her stablemates in the long run.