Rhea Ripley to replace Finn Balor with returning ex-WWE star after WrestleMania 40? Exploring the chances

Rhea Ripley is one of the most famous female wrestlers across continents and promotions. She is a leader within The Judgment Day and is currently on a quest to add talent to the faction. She could very well be looking at recruiting a returning WWE wrestler.

However, the current Women's World Champion's actions imply that one member might have to exit the faction. For the uninitiated, Judgment Day currently consists of Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest, Finn Balor, 'Dirty' Dominick Mysterio, and JD McDonagh.

The returning ex-WWE star being referred to is Buddy Matthews, with whom The Eradicator is in a real-life relationship. The two got engaged in 2023. Matthews is currently signed with AEW and is part of the House of Black. He was previously associated with WWE, performing as Buddy Murphy.

The House of Black has been in the news currently for a variety of reasons, one of them being a popular opinion that the House doesn't want to 'job.'

Additionally, Matthew's contract is about to expire, something that could potentially set off a chain of events that could see him end up in a WWE ring. On the other end, Balor's contract is also set to expire this year.

WWE has been hinting at an implosion within the faction for a while now, and a stable break is one of the staple storylines. The stable has seen some changes since its formation in 2022, when Damian Priest and Edge were the only members.

Rhea Ripley says she could convince Buddy Matthews to return to WWE

Rhea Ripley and Buddy Matthews are engaged but work for separate wrestling companies. However, in an interview with Gery Roif, she revealed that she could persuade her fiance to return to WWE.

"Ohh, Maybe, maybe. I don't know. So, I'm very convincing. I'm a very convincing girl, you know. I normally get what I want. So, it might happen, you never know. But right now I'm happy with my DomDom. I'm happy going out there with him and Finn and Damian and I mean, you never know what the future holds. It might happen," she said. [0:40 - 1:04]

Even if Ripley could pull it off, she might go ahead with it only after Wrestlemania, as she may have to defend her title at The Show of Shows.

Will Rhea Ripley effect a replacement after Wrestlemania 40? Tell us in the comments section below.

Please credit Gery Roif and give an H/T to Sportskeeda if you use the quotes in the second half of the article.