26-year-old star announces possible departure from WWE RAW to focus on SmackDown
RAW after WrestleMania 39 made major waves in the company as WWE mapped out the future of several stars on the brand for what's to come next. Recently, current SmackDown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley revealed that she would be moving away from the red brand to focus on SmackDown.
Earlier this year, Rhea Ripley made history at one of the biggest events of the year when she won the Women's Royal Rumble match and had a record-setting performance to punch her ticket. Last week, she beat Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania to capture her first SmackDown Women's Championship.
Fans wondered what Mami's status was after the show, as she was on the red brand before winning the SmackDown Women's Championship last weekend. Speaking on the latest episode of WWE's The Bump, the 26-year-old star revealed that she would be moving away from the red brand to focus on SmackDown but could possibly make some appearances in the future.
"It's Monday Night Mami. whether Bianca [Belair] likes it or not. Yeah, I might be the SmackDown Women's Champion, but I ran that place [RAW] with The Judgment Day and I had to go out there and take my moment... I just wanted to remind her that I'm still here and this is still my show, but this was sort of my warning to her, but also a little goodbye cause I will be stepping away more on SmackDown but you might still see me here and there," said Ripley. [From 32:25 to 33:09]
It will be interesting to see what's next for The Judgment Day once Mami leaves Monday Night to focus on Friday Night.
Rhea Ripley set a unique WWE record at WrestleMania 39
Rhea Ripley took the company by storm upon her arrival in the promotion as she became the inaugural WWE NXT United Kingdom Women's Champion. She later dropped the title and moved to the developmental brand in the United States.
In 2019, she became the NXT Women's Champion after defeating Shayna Baszler. However, she lost the title to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 and spent some time with the brand before making her way to Monday Night RAW.
In 2021, she won the RAW Women's Championship by defeating Asuka at WrestleMania 37. She later teamed up with Nikki A.S.H. to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
After winning the SmackDown Championship at WrestleMania 39, Mami set a unique record as she became the first woman to hold a major singles championship across all four brands.
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