5 realistic challengers for Bianca Belair at WWE SummerSlam
Since joining WWE's main roster in mid-2020, Bianca Belair has been a shining star in the promotion. The current RAW Women's Champion is an explosive athlete with an electric personality.
Belair has looked fairly dominant in her reign, especially considering the depth of talent in WWE's Women's Division. Notching wins over the likes of Ronda Rousey, Sonya DeVille and Asuka, the 33-year-old sensation represents the promotion's present as well as its future.
Heading into SummerSlam, Bianca Belair will look to continue her amazing run and keep a grasp on the gold. But who will she face? Here are five WWE Superstars The EST may defend her title against at SummerSlam.
#5 - Carmella
While Carmella has already received a title shot at Money in the Bank, she's always a heavily-featured player on WWE broadcasts. She's also a company favorite and the wife of RAW announcer Corey Graves.
Carmella vs. Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Title up next at WWE Money in the Bank. Carmella is coming out with a Peacock type entrance attire. #WWE #MITB #WWEMITB #MoneyInTheBank https://t.co/OypB4k21Ea
The Princess of Staten Island is clearly WWE royalty, so she's always in the mix for an opportunity like this. Though it appears her days as a top-level champion in the division may be over, she'll always be qualified enough to challenge for the title.
A match against 'Mella would likely be a throw-away win for Bianca and would probably even open the show.
#4 - Asuka has been on a title hunt since her return to action in WWE
Asuka delivers hard-hitting action in every match she's in, and she's featured a lot since her return to action a few weeks ago. The Japanese sensation can easily match Belair in terms of action and drama.
Belair's combination of slams and throws could be perfectly countered by The Empress of Tomorrow's strikes and kicks. This contest would be considered a babyface vs. babyface matchup, but WWE hasn't been very shy about offering those in the past.
Asuka is one of the most decorated athetes in the promotion and is revered worldwide. A huge blowout match between the pair could steal the show at SummerSlam.
#3 - Alexa Bliss
Little Miss Bliss has returned, shelving the kooky, spooky character she adopted when accompanying The Fiend. Since her re-boot, she's come up with some quality victories, most notably a convincing win over Sonya DeVille.
Alexa Bliss defeated Sonya Deville on Raw!
#AlexaBliss #WWERaw https://t.co/QbAKugvgyr
The audience absolutely adores Bliss, and even more so now that she's back to her plucky persona of the past. In fact, she may be even more popular today than she was before. It's almost been like a welcome home party.
While Bliss is a great athlete, she's no match in that category when compared to Bianca. However, if anyone was going to steal a win, it would be the very resourceful Bliss.
Although Belair is wildly popular with the WWE Universe, they would also go crazy for an Alexa title win. Either way, this match could be a winner.
#2 - Raquel Rodriguez would be an intriguing challenger for the WWE RAW Women's Championship
File this in the 'wishful thinking' folder for now. That is... unless something major happens in the next few weeks.
Much like Belair, Raquel Rodriguez is considered one of the cornerstones of the women's division's future. Incredibly powerful, she's one of the few ladies on the roster who can match The EST in terms of raw strength.
It's doubtful that the creative team will rush Rodriguez into a spot like this so quickly, but stranger things have happened in the past. The general prediction is that Rodriguez will likely progress more into a role like that as the summer progresses. However, one moment of a rousing crowd reaction can change everything in a heartbeat.
Still, an encounter between these two athletes is incredibly intriguing and has a ton of possibilities, whether it happens at SummerSlam or somewhere down the road.
#1 - Becky Lynch
Even though we've already seen this match before, Lynch's character has evolved a lot since her loss at WrestleMania. 'Maniac Becky' has a special kind of edge, so she can pull any stunt whatsoever to regain the belt.
Lynch is the biggest star on the women's roster, so it makes sense to put her in a high-profile match at one of the company's marquee events.
Big Time Becks⏰
Big Brainy Becks 🧠
Big Biceps Becks💪
Is it time for #BigBankBecks 🤔
#WWE #SmackDown @BeckyLynchWWE https://t.co/3n2kJnOsj4
On the flipside, it doesn't look like Belair is set to lose the gold soon. So sending in Big Time Becks to do the job is a win-win all around. For Bianca Belair? It's another big win to continue her reign and add to her growing resume.
In the meantime, a loss here wouldn't hurt Becky at all. So this is a safe play. The best guess is that this is likely the match we'll see (one more time) at SummerSlam.