4 women who can be the new champion if Rhea Ripley is forced to vacate her title
Two weeks ago on RAW, after successfully defending the Women's World Championship, Rhea Ripley was attacked by the returning Nia Jax.
Since then, fans have not seen The Eradicator, with many speculating that her dominant reign with the WWE Women's World Title may soon be coming to an abrupt end, with company higher-ups potentially having to strip her off it.
With Ripley's run with the belt potentially up in the air, we are going to take a look at 4 women who could become the new champion if Rhea Ripley is forced to vacate.
#4 - Rhea Ripley's current rival
Over the past few months, the main threat to Rhea's reign as the Women's World Champion has come from her former ally in NXT, Raquel Rodriguez.
First facing off at Payback and then on RAW, Rodriguez took Ripley to the absolute limit, with Raquel being one of the very few superstars in the company who can match The Eradicator for strength.
Whilst both are out at the moment, Rodriguez would more than jump at the chance to go after the gold once more, especially if it means she no longer has to face Ripley.
#3 - The Man comes around
With the exception of Rhea Ripley herself, arguably the biggest female star in World Wrestling Entertainment today is Becky Lynch.
The Man recently became a grand slam champion as she defeated Tiffany Stratton to become the new NXT Women's Champion. Whilst that title has a lot of history, the chance to win the biggest prize on the main roster may be too big to pass on.
With the young star still champion for the time being, Becky Lynch was recently interviewed by ESPN about Rhea Ripley as champion, with the Irishwoman having huge praise for the 26-year-old.
"She is the champion. She is one of the greatest female wrestlers I’ve ever seen in my entire life. She’s a natural, she’s a star. She is mesmerizing to watch. She’s the future of the wrestling business, I think. But I can’t wait to beat her for that title one day." (H/T EWrestling News)
#2 - The woman who put her on the shelf
The reason Rhea Ripley is currently out of action is due to the returning Nia Jax. Following her victory over Raquel Rodriguez, Ripley was brutally attacked by the former RAW Women's Champion.
Whilst Nia Jax has proven to be a divisive performer amongst the fans over the years, she undoubtedly brings in a lot of eyes to the weekly product.
Furthermore, if Jax does win the vacant Women's World Champion, then a returning Rhea Ripley will be incredibly determined to win back the belt from the woman who put her on the shelf.
Despite the fanfare surrounding her return, those within the business are hesitant with her in-ring style. Speaking on his Story Time podcast, Dutch Mantell reacted to Jax's new corner splash finisher.
"She has so much talk about her hurting people," Mantell said. "She did that sit-down on Rhea. Now, she can do it on Rhea – Rhea's a pretty big girl – but some of those other girls, I think she'd crush them because she moves pretty well, but I don't know if she could control that weight." [0:40 – 1:02] [H/T Sportskeeda]
#1 - Rhea Ripley faces a storm
In recent weeks, various reports have indicated that the former TBS Champion, Jade Cargill, who held the belt in All Elite Wrestling for 508 days, is on her way to WWE after her contract with AEW expired.
With incredible athleticism and a unique look, Cargill is undoubtedly a perfect fit for World Wrestling Entertainment, with many fans hoping she debuts soon.
During a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer gave an update on Cargill's arrival in WWE.
"Jade Cargill is expected to start here on the main roster. Whether she has a short stint in NXT first is unknown but everything we’ve been told is that they’ve been working on is main roster creative for her. She has the look and they like real athletes with size so she fits what they are looking for. The creative is said to be a high priority thing, so the idea at this point is to give her a significant role and push." (H/T TJR Wrestling)
With Ripley possibly on the shelf, Jade Cargill has a great chance to make a huge impression on the WWE fanbase and win the Women's World Championship immediately after making her debut.