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#2 Rhea Ripley finds her first challenger
On the December 18 episode of NXT, Rhea Ripley took on the woman with one of the best win records in WWE, Shayna Baszler. The two competed in an NXT Women’s Championship match which saw a few interferences from Baszler’s allies.
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Ripley was able to brave all the distractions and attacks before pinning Baszler clean in the middle of the ring to pick up her first NXT Women’s Championship.
Now that Baszler seems to be free to move on to other assignments, Ripley will have the tough task of carrying the NXT women’s division on her broad shoulders. With that in mind, the Black & Gold brand should get her to work straight away and prove that she is a fighting Champion by allowing her to issue an Open Challenge on NXT this week.
They should allow a fresher heel to answer the challenge so that not only do they get some spotlight, but The Nightmare also continues her winning ways by defeating the Superstar quickly and beginning her reign on a high.
WWE has built Ripley as the ultimate competitor in recent months, and they need to keep her at the forefront of the women’s roster to ensure that fans stay interested in her work and her character. Soon enough Ripley will find worthy competition in Io Shirai, Dakota Kai, and Bianca Belair.
