Breaking Down The Belts: Rhea Ripley’s WWE Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley became the WWE Women’s Champion once again when she beat Jade Cargill for the title at WrestleMania 42, marking her fourth-reign as top champion on the main roster. Ripley is breathing that rare air now, although realistically she has been for quite some time, and that has fed into her ongoing dynamic with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss in recent weeks.

With her title win over the champion of “WWE SmackDown,” Ripley departed “WWE Raw” for the blue brand of Friday nights with one last win alongside IYO SKY. When she arrived, she was confronted by fellow new arrivals Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid – Fatal Influence – who are also in a conflict with Bliss and Flair. 

So, for the foreseeable future, Ripley is tied up in that plot — one layered with previous WrestleMania title feuds between Ripley and Flair, the latter not very trusting of the former while always on the prowl for further gold herself. But she’s also tied up in the chase of the new star, Jayne, in an attempt to establish herself, the Women’s Tag Team Championship pursuit that will presumably come from Henley and Reid’s battles with Bliss and Flair, and whatever the dynamic between Bliss and Flair will be when all is said and done. 

However, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate plan for the belt that Ripley holds. Barring a surprise Jayne win if and when they do have a title match at some stage, there is no clear option for who will take the baton after Ripley has carried it through this stretch. With that comes an opportunity to explore what could be through the lens of what likely will and what really should happen in the future. So let’s break it down.

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and Charlotte Flair winning the title. It’s not an exact science but it has been said that she need only look at the belt for it to be hers, like a kleptomaniac gorgon for gold. Obviously outside the lens of kayfabe, the decision is often made because she is far and away the safest option, an established star relied upon to work good-to-iconic matches with everyone up and down the card. 

Be that as it may, it means she often stands out as the only person one might believe could take the title. Especially when it comes to a champion like Ripley, another built up so well the options seem limited as far as a worthy successor goes. 

There is their history, as mentioned, including two WrestleMania title matches spread 1-1 among a handful of other title bouts going either way. They’re iconic rivals, and it can be hard to view anyone else as the next champion so long as they remain in each other’s orbit. 

The relationship between Flair and Bliss enhances that, with it almost feeling like a natural catalyst for either the ending or the affirming of their partnership. History dictates that the title will likely corrupt the situation rather than benefit it. But whichever way the sword falls, it certainly seems the likeliest outcome that the belt falls in the lap of Flair yet again.

In the interest of full disclosure (and not wanting to get rinsed for not including them), Lash Legend, Blake Monroe, Jacy Jayne, and Alexa Bliss were all considered for this. All would be great options to take the title onward at any given point, and with Money in the Bank on the horizon, all would stand a great chance of holding the title through that pathway also. Specifically Monroe and Legend, who would both be great Miss Money in the Banks.

However, Giulia stands out as the star who should take the division forward purely from a workrate and realizable potential standpoint. Legitimately one of, and at her very best likely the, best workers in the world, female or male, she’s not only someone who can hang with Ripley on a bell-to-bell basis, but someone who could push Ripley into working even better. 

The catch is that many will try and dismiss her as an option for what she has been able to show since coming to the main roster. Even with two United States Championships, there are layers upon layers she has yet to showcase. But that’s why this writer feels she should be the one put in that position.

Ripley has just drawn to a close a star-making stretch with IYO SKY, who was already one of the best wrestlers on the planet and had been for some time. She had the title win through Money in the Bank to her name, but it was her win over Ripley for the Women’s World Championship that got the ball rolling on her latest run atop the card. It would be nice to see Giulia get that recognition, breathing that rare air with Ripley, and giving her a platform to pay it forward.