3 reasons why Rhea Ripley won the Street Fight at WWE Night of Champions 2025

The second match of WWE Night of Champions saw Rhea Ripley face Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight. The match was brutal, with both women using whatever they could find to beat the other down. There was very little breathing room in this match as both were pushing each other to the limit.

Roxanne Perez came out to help Rodriguez during the match, but she was tossed into a trash bin. The match ended with a massive RipTide by Mami for the win. But why did the former WWE Women’s World Champion have to win this match?

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#3. A feel-good booking for the crowd

There is no denying that Rhea Ripley is among the most over women on the roster today in WWE. During the Premium Live Event, the live crowd went nuts during her entrance. Her presentation and in-ring skills have made her more popular than ever among the fans.

This booking, while not affecting the storyline, could have been done to give the fans a feel-good ending. The pop she received after the bell rung made it clear that this was the best booking decision.

WWE loves playing to the fans and giving them what they want during international shows. Rhea Ripley’s feud was with Morgan, but since she was taken out due to injury, this match was set up.

This was the typical babyface vs heel match for the fans’ entertainment. The entire match, Mami was on the receiving end, resulting in the fans cheering for her to get up. The win was the icing on the cake.

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#2. Show cracks between Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez

With Morgan out, WWE is trying to push Roxanne Perez within The Judgment Day to be her replacement. This match could be for the storyline where Rodriguez will now think twice before trusting her. The commentary team did a good job reminding everyone that the tag belts need a champion, and Perez could be looking to take Morgan’s place.

However, after tonight’s loss against Rhea Ripley, it won’t be a surprise if Rodriguez doesn’t trust making Perez her tag team partner. This is the typical storyline that WWE is known to do before the team loses the titles. This will result in Morgan returning and being irate that Rodriguez lost the titles in her absence.

This could cause The Judgement Day to implode with Morgan walking out. There has been speculation that she will do so with Dominik Mysterio, so Rodriguez will be left with Perez, Finn Balor, and JD McDonagh.

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#1. Building Rhea Ripley up for a match at SummerSlam

Everyone knows that Rhea Ripley will be part of another WWE Women’s title run, so this match could be setting that up. Having Mami win on a PLE establishes her as a strong competitor. Moreover, this being a Street Fight match means that she can take on anyone at any time. The booking was to make her strong but also to set up a future interference in her match.

With this loss, Rodriguez will be looking for revenge, and she could strike when Ripley is competing for a title opportunity. While fans are done with these women feuding, it would make sense if Rodriguez takes out Rhea Ripley, leading to Perez getting a title shot instead in the future.

This will make this match make sense in the future. Everything WWE does is planned with some outcome down the line. It won’t be surprising if Rodriguez costs Ripley a title shot at SummerSlam. This will keep Mami as the underdog trying to reclaim her title.