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WWE Superstar and Judgment Day member Rhea Ripley's in-ring presence has intimidated even her male counterparts. Her current role within the villainous faction has made her one of the top heels of the promotion as of late.
Despite being included in the injured list, she can still be seen assisting her Judgment Day stablemates whenever the situation arises. This includes moments during a match when she needs to strike male opponents.
To that end, the idea of inter-gender matches within WWE has been on the table for quite a while now, though the company may still have qualms about it. However, if the promotion decides to schedule such a match featuring The Nightmare, here are five potential male opponents for Ripley.
#5. Luke Gallows
Luke Gallows and his O.C. squad are in a feud with Rhea Ripley’s Judgment Day, and the animosity between the two factions grows by the day. With Michin/Mia Yim joining the former collective, the odds are now even between them.
Before the new recruit, The O.C. had this so-called "Rhea Ripley problem" as they got constantly clobbered by The Nightmare since they couldn’t fight back. A case in point was during the October 24 episode of RAW, where Ripley bodyslammed Luke Gallows outside the ring.
If it weren’t for the potential controversy, that aforementioned feat by Ripley is reason enough for WWE to schedule her in a match against the towering Gallows.
#4. Ricochet
For the uninitiated, Rhea Ripley was under the tutelage of former WWE Superstar and Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty during her Performance Center days.
In a Metro interview, he revealed that Ripley, alongside Raquel Rodriguez, would be put in the mix with male wrestlers, and one of them was Ricochet. Hotty’s reason behind this is to build confidence in both Rodriguez and Ripley, which has evidently paid off.
The hours Ripley and Ricochet sparred together inside the WWE Performance Center have certainly familiarized each other’s move sets. Hence, it would definitely be a treat to see Rhea Ripley’s brute strength size up against Ricochet’s agility and high-flying maneuvers.
#3. Edge
Rhea Ripley revealed during an interview that WWE Superstar and The Judgment Day founder Edge approached her once and asked if she was down to joining the heel faction. In a heartbeat, she jumped right in, and the rest was history.
Edge is no longer the leader of their pack, but he left a team that is currently sending an imposing message to the rest of the wrestling stables within WWE.
The Hall of Famer is turning 50 next year, not to mention he has endured career-ending injuries at the height of his run. Despite these, The Rated-R Superstar still has more in the tank, and here’s to hoping that he uses some of it when he goes toe-to-toe with The Nightmare.
#2. Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes was supposed to get a massive push from WWE when he returned to the promotion during this year’s WrestleMania until that terrible pectoral tear got in the way.
Despite that severe injury, he pushed through with his Hell in a Cell match against Seth Rollins and won. He has since been sidelined and is still recuperating from that torn muscle.
Like Rhodes, Rhea Ripley may seem to get a substantial push considering the frequency of her appearances on RAW. In line with this, it is likely that she and current RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair could face off at WrestleMania 39.
While WWE is yet to build a storyline for Ripley and Rhodes, the fact that they have the word Nightmare tagged to their names could be a good start for a feud. Provided that an inter-gender match would finally come to fruition, it would settle who among them is the worst, err… best Nightmare there is.
#1. Rey Mysterio is the male WWE Superstar that needs to fight Rhea Ripley
Rey Mysterio is undoubtedly a no-brainer in topping this list since he has endured so much with the unwanted feud with his son, whose mind was poisoned by Rhea Ripley.
Their latest encounter was during Thanksgiving when Dominik Mysterio and his 'Mami' Rhea came uninvited to Rey’s home and made quick work out of the injured Master of 619. While Rey performs on SmackDown now, the attack could lead him to come back to RAW to seek vengeance.
The WWE Superstar still performs most of his high-risk maneuvers, albeit at his age. If Rey gets pushed over the edge, he definitely can’t wait to deliver a forceful 619 to Ripley as payback. But of course, one can only imagine at the moment.
