Former rival, standout Royal Rumble competitor - 5 stars who could dethrone Charlotte Flair before WWE WrestleMania Hollywood
A major match was recently announced for WWE WrestleMania Hollywood. Former RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley will be taking on current SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair.
The Eradicator of The Judgment Day earned the opportunity to battle a champion of her choosing after winning the WWE Women's Royal Rumble Match in San Antonio, Texas. Ripley entered the match at #1 and went on to win the bout, outlasting 29 other women.
With her win, Rhea then went on to reveal that she'd be challenging her old rival Charlotte for the SmackDown Women's Championship. The fun thing about the road to WrestleMania, however, is that there's no guarantee Flair will even still be the champion when the big event rolls around.
Several stars on the blue brand want an opportunity to dethrone The Queen and earn their way into the main event of WrestleMania. Some are former rivals of the champion, while others are first-time opponents. Which SmackDown star could manage to disrupt the plans for The Show of Shows?
Below are five stars who could possibly dethrone Charlotte Flair before WWE WrestleMania Hollywood.
#5. Sonya Deville has a major title opportunity on SmackDown
The most obvious answer as to who could disrupt the plans for WrestleMania 39 is Sonya Deville. While most fans may overlook her and not see Deville as a major title threat, she is the first to have a title opportunity against The Queen.
The Jersey Devil will be challenging Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship tonight. When she does, Deville is hoping to win her first-ever title in the company and go on to headline WrestleMania. Deville vs. Ripley would be a very unique WrestleMania match and certainly one that fans won't see coming.
Could Deville go from never being a champion before to winning the belt and stepping into the biggest show of the year as the titleholder? That all depends on how her match with Charlotte goes.
#4. Ronda Rousey could return for her title rematch
Ronda Rousey is a successful star both in and outside of wrestling. She rose to prominence in combat sports but also had a hand in acting. Rousey is also a former RAW Women's Champion and a two-time WWE SmackDown Women's Champion.
The Baddest Woman on The Planet hasn't been seen since the last episode of WWE SmackDown in 2022. She managed to defeat Raquel Rodriguez in a surprisingly good bout. Suddenly, however, Charlotte Flair showed up as a surprise. A challenge was then made, and before long, The Queen was once again champion.
Rousey returning in an attempt to regain the belt that she arguably lost under unfair circumstances feels inevitable. The same situation played out with Liv Morgan in 2022, and Ronda ultimately won her belt back. Could that happen before WrestleMania this year?
#3. Raquel Rodriguez is a big threat
Raquel Rodriguez is quite the athlete. The tall and powerful woman found a lot of success on NXT, winning both the NXT Women's Championship and the NXT Women's Tag Team Titles during her stay on the brand.
The imposing Raquel is a threat to whoever is the champion on any given day, Flair included. It is rare for somebody to be bigger and stronger than The Queen, but Rodriguez is a rare example of somebody being just that.
If Raquel does manage to dethrone Charlotte prior to WWE WrestleMania, a bout between herself and Rhea Ripley could be quite interesting. The two powerhouses are real-life friends who rose through the ranks of NXT together.
Who would win if they clashed at a major event? Only time will tell.
#2. Lacey Evans has had issues with Charlotte in the past
Lacey Evans is an interesting pro wrestler. She's yet to hold a major championship on NXT, RAW, or SmackDown. Despite that, she's often found herself in title contention in between her on-again-off-again pushes. Evans was recently slightly repackaged on the blue brand, with a renewed push seemingly on the horizon.
The Sassy Southern Belle is no stranger to Flair. The two briefly had a rivalry together on Monday Night RAW, but it was cut short when Evans got pregnant and stopped appearing on television. This could be her chance to right that wrong and not only feud with The Queen but defeat her.
While Rhea Ripley generates a lot of heat from the WWE audience, no female star is as detested as Lacey. If the two were to have a bout for the SmackDown Women's Championship at the epic event, there's little doubt that the majority of the audience would support Ripley.
#1. Liv Morgan could get the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship back
How it started - How it ended
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Liv Morgan had quite the 2022. She began the year in a short title rivalry with Becky Lynch and even challenged for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles. While she came up short there, she did go on to win Money in the Bank and the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Flair and Morgan don't have much history, especially since Liv became a top star in the promotion. Still, a bout between them could be excellent under the right circumstances. Could Liv win her second-ever title in WWE by dethroning Flair?
If The Miracle Kid pulls off a second major upset, she could go on to headline WWE WrestleMania. She and Rhea Ripley have a lot of history together. From teaming up to feuding to their incredible performance at the Royal Rumble, there's certainly plenty of intrigue surrounding a big-time bout between the two.