5 Women who could win the WWE SmackDown #1 Contenders Battle Royal

#1 Rhea Ripley brings a new Nightmare to SmackDown

Almost a year since her move to NXT and Rhea Ripley is ready to move on

Of course, the first spot goes to Rhea Ripley. There is no better option than the inaugural WWE NXT UK Women's Champion who, may I remind you, is the only WWE Superstar to hold both that and the WWE NXT Women's Championship. She's already instilled fear on the SmackDown locker room before.

👀 interesting. https://t.co/235zGGxuVH

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) August 8, 2020

Heading into WrestleMania 36, there were few Superstars rolling with the kind of popularity that Ripley had. Though her momentum slowed drastically after the loss, she's still one of the most exciting performers on any brand, and is still a huge fan favorite. She recently returned to NXT, starting a feud with the Robert Stone Brand that seems to be leading to a showdown between Mercedes Martinez and herself.

The question is, after defeating Shayna Baszler, arguably the greatest and most dominant NXT Women's Champion of all time, and facing Charlotte Flair, in what is considered by many the best match at WrestleMania 36, where does she go from here? She's already accomplished everything she really needed to do on the Black & Gold Brand.

Considering Ripley had such an impressive night at Survivor Series when she led her team to victory, lastly eliminating SmackDown Superstar Sasha Banks. The mainstream WWE audience already knows who she is and just how impressive she can be. It won't take much convincing on Friday nights to get anyone on board.

Rhea Ripley winning the Battle Royal next week might not be the only option, but it's without a doubt the best. Ripley vs Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship is definitely a money match.