WWE: 3 directions for Bianca Belair at the Royal Rumble
Bianca Belair is scheduled to defend the WWE Raw Women's Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble premium live event. As the Rumble is usually a good indication of storyline directions for WrestleMania in April, many fans are wondering what the company has planned for Belair.
The following outlines three possible scenarios for the WWE Raw Women's Championship coming out of Saturday's event and over the next several months as we head towards the big event in April.
She hasn't had a ton of focus in recent months while being immersed in programs with Bliss and the Damage CTRL, so the creative team will need to have a strong plan in order to make her WrestleMania presence feel meaningful.
#1. WWE continues Bianca Belair and Alexa Bliss feud
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Although Alexa Bliss is slated to face Belair for the title at the Royal Rumble, there is always the chance that the match ends with an inconclusive finish, which would mean that a rematch would be needed down the road.
Logically, this doesn't appear to have the storyline to carry beyond one match; however, given the continued links between Bliss, Bray Wyatt and Uncle Howdy, there's always a chance that WWE will continue to play into these three characters in order to continue Bliss' feud with Belair.
#2. Rhea Ripley wins the Royal Rumble and challenges Belair
Bianca Belair was set to defend the Raw Women's Championship against Rhea Ripley in July 2022 at the annual Money in the Bank event. The match was postponed due to Ripley suffering an injury and has not been rescheduled.
Since then, Ripley has improved her stock by joining the Judgment Day faction and becoming a key component of Dominik Mysterio's heel turn. In her role as "Mami," she has arguably become the top female star on Raw.
In looking at the women's roster across both brands, a match with Ripley would be the best match to showcase at WrestleMania. Ripley would also be the best candidate to win the title in order to have the babyfaces chase her throughout the summer.
#3. WWE unifies the Women's Championship
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On the 30th anniversary of Raw this past Monday, Belair shared a moment in the ring with WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair. Was this a one-time meeting or a foreshadowing of things to come?
Since WWE has experimented with unifying titles in the past, it is possible that the company is building towards Flair vs. Belair at WrestleMania as a way to unify the two titles. This will likely be a main event, marquee match-up that will close the show on the first night of the two-night event.
The challenge that the creative team will face is that this is not a new match as the two met several times throughout 2022. Enough time has passed to make this feel fresh, but fans who remember their past encounters may be slightly underwhelmed if this match comes to pass.