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Rhea Ripley is one of the biggest names on WWE NXT, and she is about to make her main roster debut on Monday Night RAW.
WWE aired a video package on the February 22nd edition of their flagship show stating that The Nightmare is "coming soon".
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Ripley will be a great addition to the main roster, especially Monday Night RAW. As WWE heads into WrestleMania, the RAW women’s division and its champion, Asuka, have never felt so weak and unimportant. The remedy to cure RAW of these ills is to inject it with a healthy dose of youth, hunger, and potential - three attributes that Rhea Ripley possesses in spades.
Despite the hype video and her much-needed presence, two weeks have since passed and Ripley is nowhere to be seen. The WWE Universe and Ripley herself are left wondering just how long we will have to wait. Hopefully, it won't be long as Monday Night RAW needs a shake-up and Rhea Ripley is the one to do just that.
This article will look at five reasons why Rhea Ripley should debut on RAW before WrestleMania 37.
#5 Rhea Ripley brings much-needed star power to RAW in the lead up to WrestleMania
Rhea Ripley is a star. Ever since her NXT UK days, it was clear that WWE had big plans for The Nightmare. Those plans were realized when she became the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion. Holding the title for 139 days, she carried the fledgling women's division on her shoulders tremendously.
Ripley returned to NXT in 2019 and made her presence felt when she challenged and dethroned Shayna Baszler, ending her dominance over the NXT women's division in the process. The title win topped off a stellar year for the Australian, who captained her team to victory on NXT's first-ever women's WarGames match and the five-on-five-on-five Survivor Series match.
Ripley is the first person to defend any NXT championship at WrestleMania when she took on Charlotte Flair at last year's event. The match resulted in her losing the title at The Show of Shows, but she rebounded well and remained a focal point of the Black and Yellow brand. Her last match on NXT was an incredible Last Woman Standing match at New Year's Evil against Raquel Gonzalez. Ripley lost the epic battle on her way out of the brand.
Fans last saw Rhea Ripley at this year's Royal Rumble. Her stardom was undeniable as she dominated the match and reached the final two, losing out to Bianca Belair in a thrilling encounter.
Rhea Ripley has achieved what others can only dream of, and she is yet to debut on the main roster. Her presence on RAW is desperately needed as she will bring fresh matches, new threats, and excitement to the tired and directionless women's division that resides on the Red brand.
RAW's female roster has lacked serious star power for months. Asuka is booked so poorly that the title is constantly overshadowed. Charlotte Flair's return has been mishandled and ineffective. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are treading water in WWE's lackluster women's tag team division. Therefore, Rhea Ripley is just the person the company needs to bring the "it factor" back to RAW.
#4 Rhea Ripley's presence will boost the entire RAW women's division
Rhea Ripley is terrific at making an immediate impact. She has done it throughout her career. Over the past five years, Rhea Ripley has built a name for herself as a dominator and the future of the business. On NXT UK, NXT, and at WWE Survivor Series proved herself to be everything she is touted to be, and now she will likely do so on Monday Night RAW.
The women's division on RAW is in dire need of a boost from the ground up. From Dana Brooke all the way up to Asuka, the female roster are continuous victims of WWE's sloppy and lazy booking.
A women's mid-card in non-existent. The women's tag team division is muddled and features only singles stars, resulting in makeshift teams. The title scene is the weakest its been in years as the champion is not portrayed as such and rarely used. The entire division seems rudderless and lost.
Rhea Ripley's arrival will bring excitement, interest, and anticipation to RAW, revitalizing the division in the process. Her presence will undoubtedly shake RAW to its core as the entire female roster will come face-to-face with The Nightmare resulting in every woman on the show stepping up.
#3 Rhea Ripley brings the firepower back to Monday Night RAW
Rhea Ripley is known as The Nightmare and she lives up to that moniker every time she steps into the ring. Her brutally physical and smashmouth style has seen her win gold and dominate divisions.
Her impressive physicality both in and out of the ring ups the threat level on RAW immensely. Every wrestler who faces the former NXT UK and NXT Women's Champion will have up the ante just to survive, let alone beat her.
As WWE hurtles along the road to The Showcase of the Immortals, every woman on the roster should be fighting and clawing for television time to showcase their talents and that they deserve to have a prominent spot at WrestleMania.
For the second year running WrestleMania will be held over two nights. The added night brings more opportunity. That opportunity brings competition and that competition provides better action in better matches.
In the lead up to WrestleMania, the SmackDown women's division has stolen the show. It is all about Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair and their possible main event match for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Rhea Ripley's debut before WrestleMania will bring the focus back to RAW. Her presence provides storylines, and her in-ring style means more heated matches, all of which are vital for the show as WrestleMania approaches.
#2 Rhea Ripley challenges Charlotte Flair to a match at WrestleMania
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair have quite the history together. Last year, Ripley called Flair out to pick her as the latter's WrestleMania opponent for the NXT Women's Championship. The feud saw Ripley appear on RAW, and Flair invade NXT. The rivalry was ground-breaking as it was the first time that NXT and one of its championships was featured at WrestleMania.
Ripley and Flair had a great match at WrestleMania 36 that shockingly resulted in The Queen defeating Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship and killing her incredible momentum in the process.
The move to have Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley is still baffling one year later. Nor was it ever really fully explained in WWE/NXT cannon.
Charlotte Flair has stated her desire to challenge Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship at this year's Show of Shows. As it stands, she is RAW's only clear contender not because she earned it, but simply because she is Charlotte Flair. Ripley needs to shatter the status quo by debuting on RAW before WrestleMania to stop WWE's repetitive booking of RAW's title scene and to finally get revenge on Flair.
#1 Rhea Ripley challenges Asuka for the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania
Rhea Ripley's debut on RAW must happen before WrestleMania 37 to inject new life into the RAW Women's Championship.
As WWE heads into its biggest event of the year, a storyline featuring the Red brand's women's title is shockingly absent, and a challenger for Asuka is yet to materialize. In fact, Asuka hasn't had legitimate challengers to her title for some time. The Empress of Tomorrow has been in several mini-programs with Zelina Vega and Lana before playing getting involved with the Women's Tag Team Championships with Charlotte Flair.
WWE's lackluster booking of the champion has taken the shine away not only from Asuka but the championship too. The title, which was built-up to a prestigious level by Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Ronda Rousey, and Becky Lynch, has never felt so unimportant.
Rhea Ripley debuting on the Red brand will give the entire RAW women's division the attention, focus, and importance it so desperately requires.
Ripley and Asuka are perfect opponents for each other. Ripley is a genuine threat to the title and Asuka her greatest challenge. The fight Ripley would bring to the champion would not only reignite her fire and purpose but re-awaken that killer instinct, which has laid dormant for far too long.
Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka is also a fantastic first-time match. The two warriors are yet to clash inside the ring, and the fight these two warriors would bring has the potential to be a classic.
Ex WWE writer blasts Liv Morgan HERE
