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The WWE RAW Women's Championship has had an up-and-down history of popularity in the last year. This year's championship match at WrestleMania 37 could be a make-or-break one not just for the title itself, but also for both competitors.
When Becky Lynch relinquished her title last May, it sent shockwaves through the pro-wrestling world. WWE would have to find a new superstar to be at the center of the Women’s Division.
For nearly two years, Becky Lynch dominated the Women’s Division on both SmackDown and RAW. Her crowning moment took place at WrestleMania 35 when she defeated both Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair in the first ever women's main event at The Showcase of The Immortals.
No one came close to touching Lynch's popularity and mainstream appeal in years. And until her pregnancy announcement, it didn't seem WWE were in any hurry to take out the rocket strapped to The Man.
In May 2020, Asuka won the Woman's Money in the Bank, and Becky Lynch announced the wonderful news that she was expecting her first child, and that inside Asuka's briefcase was not a contract for the RAW Women's Championship, but the championship itself!
And here we are, two weeks away from WrestleMania. Asuka is still the RAW Women's Champion and is set to defend her title against a young and hungry Rhea Ripley. Who will win? We don't know. But the question of who "should" win is clear.
Let's discuss 5 reasons why Rhea Ripley MUST win the RAW Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37.
1) WWE RAW Women's Champion Asuka deserves a break
Asuka has had few blemishes on her record since being crowned Champion in May 2020, losing only about six singles matches via pinfall or count-out. Her biggest loss was to Sasha Banks in July, but was corrected a month later at WWE's SummerSlam.
Since then, she has fought everyone, even having a brief stint as WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Charlotte Flair. Asuka has done it all, and deserves some time off after carrying much of the women's division on her shoulders.
In addition, her current character is at risk of getting stale and overplayed. The Empress of Tomorrow seems to be losing a bit of her magic and mystic. WWE is running out of ideas to keep her fresh.
A loss won't destroy Asuka; she has such a strong fan appeal that she doesn't need to win every match to stay relevant. She could easily slide into a future title match whenever WWE wants to.
Give the title to Ripley, and the possibilities are endless, as she is a brand new face on the red brand.
2) Rhea Ripley deserves redemption after WrestleMania 36
This will be Rhea Ripley's second appearance at WrestleMania in a championship match. She faced Charlotte Flair at WrestleManaa 36 where she lost her NXT Women's Championship to the most decorated women's competitor in WWE history.
Many fans found it hard to believe that WWE would put the NXT title on Charlotte and confine her to the black and yellow developmental brand, but that's exactly what happened. Fans were dismayed since they felt Flair's win was an unnecessary addition to her resume. More so, they were upset about the way the match played out.
After her loss to Flair, Ripley lost much of her steam and organic push. She went from the biggest women in NXT, being the person to finally cast Shayna Baszler out of NXT, to having almost no involvement in the main event scene at NXT.
Gradually, Ripley has rebuilt herself as the powerhouse everyone knows. WWE has clearly gained enough confidence to let her challenge Asuka for the title. WWE is doing a good job at making her feel like a big deal, and a win at this year's WrestleMania will wash away her loss last year.
3) The WWE RAW Women's Championship is becoming boring
Championships in WWE should feel like the single most important thing to a WWE Superstar's life. The title must be defended and treated with respect, and each defense should mean something. If a title is booked poorly, it becomes nothing more than a trophy, a prop with no significance. And in WWE, that's unacceptable.
To be clear, the RAW Women's Championship is NOT the most boring title in WWE, but that it's on the list is where the problem lies. This has nothing to do with Asuka's abilities. Yet, everyone will agree that the title doesn't feel anywhere near as significant compared to the days when Lynch and Rousey carried the title.
However, the title is not destined to fall off the face of the earth, as the pieces are there for Ripley and Asuka to save the title from obscurity. While they'll face stiff competition from Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks who will duke it out for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania, Ripley and Asuka have the skills to put together a fantastic match.
A great match, mixed with a big title change, could turn this narrative around and excite fans, especially with the addition of a live ticketed crowd for the first time since last March.
4) WWE's RAW Women's Division will thrive with Ripley as Champ
Making Rhea Ripley champion will not only benefit her; it'll also help the rest of the WWE RAW Women's Division.
Currently, RAW has 16 women listed as part of its division. If you remove superstars who are inactive due to COVID-19 or maternity leave, the current champion, the two tag team champions, Rhea Ripley, and Alexa Bliss (who is working with The Fiend), you have eight to work with. And from that group, only a handful of women have been booked well enough to be credible challengers for the RAW Women's title.
This division feels like an afterthought, not because of the talent pool of women, but because it is running on fumes. It needs a new life, a shot of adrenaline, and a new champion at the helm.
As of now, Asuka is a juggernaut with no one up to the task of dethroning her, which means her character could turn into a staid champion. However, having a young champion brings the added bonus of WWE fans getting treated to matches they have never seen before.
5) Rhea Ripley's WWE stock will soar with a WrestleMania Moment
The main reason Rhea Ripley needs to defeat Asuka at WrestleMania 37 is that WWE needs to make Rhea Ripley a star.
That's one of WWE's biggest tasks at this year's WrestleMania from this match, the SmackDown Women's title match, and even the WWE Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley. The theme is to create new stars that WWE can rely on, market to a broader audience, and hitch their wagons for years to come.
The importance of having a solid roster filled with people who could fill main event spots is vital to WWE's success. And Rhea Ripley will be nothing but a strong asset for WWE in this aspect.
Mainstream appeal, a vicious set of moves, an imposing stature, and solid mic skills - Rhea Ripley has everything WWE looks for in a superstar. Combine these with her first ever main roster title win at WrestleMania in front of the first ticketed crowd in over a year against arguably one of the best competitors in the world, and Ripley is cemented as a star instantly.
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