There's only one superstar who can halt Rhea Ripley's momentum on WWE SmackDown
Rhea Ripley is coming off of WWE WrestleMania 39 with all the momentum in the world, and there is only one superstar on the SmackDown roster who can stop it.
The Eradicator challenged Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 for the SmackDown Women's Championship. She captured the title after connecting with a Riptide off the middle turnbuckle. Ripley lost to Flair at WrestleMania 36 but avenged her loss to The Queen this past weekend in an instant classic. She seems untouchable at this point, but there is one superstar on the blue brand who could challenge her for the title.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are set to challenge for the Women's Tag Team Championships next Monday on WWE RAW. If they come up short, either would make a great challenger for Ripley's SmackDown Women's Championship. Liv and Rhea were former tag teammates, and Morgan could use her knowledge of Rhea to offset the massive size difference between the two superstars.
However, the 26-year-old's first obstacle as SmackDown Women's Champion could be Raquel Rodriguez. Raquel and Rhea have a history in NXT, and the two had an intense staredown after Rhea Ripley confronted Bianca Belair on this past Monday's episode of WWE RAW.
Rodriguez has the height advantage Ripley and would present a unique challenge to the SmackDown Women's Champion. She could also benefit from a feud with the champion by showing that she can hang with her in the ring.
Raquel is an impressive superstar but hasn't been able to connect with the crowd on the main roster. A great storyline against Rhea Ripley could be exactly what the 32-year-old needs to gain popularity with fans on WWE SmackDown.
Rhea Ripley is ready for either Liv Morgan or Raquel Rodriguez on WWE SmackDown
Rhea Ripley recently disclosed that both Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez can challenge her on WWE SmackDown.
She captured the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time in her career at WrestleMania 39. She is seemingly prepared to be a fighting champion. The champion appeared on WWE's The Bump this week and revealed that both Liv and Raquel could challenge her for the title if either wanted to:
"A lot of memories came out, a lot of memories. I tagged with Liv [Morgan] for Liv for Brutality. I tagged with Raquel [Rodriguez] when we're R&R. She was my rock in NXT. We've had many many bouts. We had a Last Woman Standing match, which was my last match in NXT... I mean I think she was trying to send me a message because she's on SmackDown and I think she's hungry for more than just the tag championships... If Raquel wants to come at me, she can come at me. If Liv wants to come at me, she can come at me," said Ripley. [From 33:35 to 34:20]
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair put on an amazing performance during Night 1 of WrestleMania. The Eradicator could be in line for a lengthy reign as SmackDown Women's Champion. It will be interesting to see if Ripley and Rodriguez's interaction this past Monday on WWE RAW leads to a rivalry in the weeks ahead.
Who would you like to see be Rhea Ripley's first opponent as SmackDown Women's Champion? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.