5 WWE stars Rhea Ripley helped elevate in 2023

Rhea Ripley is one of the biggest stars in all of WWE, regardless of gender. Not only that, but she is one of the most prominent names in professional wrestling today. Despite being presented as a heel on television, very few performers are as popular as Ripley.

She has rapidly risen through the ranks of World Wrestling Entertainment, winning gold everywhere she went. During her stint, Ripley has won the NXT UK Women's Champion, the NXT Women's Championship, the RAW Women's Championship, the SmackDown Women's Title, and the Women's Tag Team Championship.

Soon after Ripley won the coveted SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39, the belt was rebranded to the Women's World Championship. She has since battled a plethora of talented individuals for the gold.

While Ripley has remained champion since 'Mania and has yet to be pinned in a major match, she has still helped other stars just by working with them. This article will look at five names The Eradicator has helped elevate throughout the year, specifically since winning the gold at WrestleMania.

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#5 Zelina Vega had an epic bout against Rhea Ripley earlier this year

Zelina Vega at Backlash 2023

Zelina Vega is one of the more underrated female superstars in WWE. She started her career in the company as a ringside manager but later broke out as an in-ring competitor. She's a former Women's Tag Team Champion alongside Carmella.

Rhea Ripley battled Zelina Vega at Backlash 2023 in Puerto Rico. While the champion won the match, Vega landed a flurry of offense on her offense on her opponent. The Nightmare sold her rival's moves perfectly, allowing her to come across as a significant threat.

The bout was a memorable moment for Vega as she challenged for one of the biggest prizes in the industry on her home turf. While the former champion has lost momentum since the contest, she benefitted greatly by sharing the ring with Ripley. She is currently aligned with Michin, aiming to take down Damage CTRL on SmackDown.

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#4 Ripley helped Raquel Rodriguez seem like a bigger threat

Raquel Rodriguez is arguably among the most powerful female stars in WWE. She began her tenure in the company as part of the Mae Young Classic in NXT. While in developmental, she won the NXT Women's Championship. Rodriguez has also held tag team gold on NXT and the main roster.

Ripley and Big Mami Cool battled twice in singles competition this year. One match came at WWE Payback 2023, and the other was on RAW. Both times, Ripley ensured her opponent seemed more physically imposing than ever. In fact, The Nightmare even showed signs of fear when competing against Rodriguez, which she rarely does.

Unfortunately, Raquel Rodriguez has been absent from television after losing to Nia Jax. She will surely be back in action soon, possibly targeting the Women's World Championship again.

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#3 She recently helped elevate Zoey Stark

Zoey Stark at Survivor Series WarGames 2023

Zoey Stark is a highly athletic superstar. She began her WWE career in NXT, where she won the Women's Tag Team Title. She was called up to the main roster as part of the 2023 Draft, where she combined forces with Trish Stratus.

Ripley and Stark had an interesting short rivalry not too long after the latter turned babyface. While the crowd was still warming up to the upstart, going toe-to-toe with The Eradicator considerably elevated her stock.

Stark was recently paired with Shayna Baszler on RAW. The Queen of Spades and the former champion are an unlikely duo, but they've managed to earn each other's respect. Could they secure the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in the future? Only time will tell.

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#2 Maxxine Dupri & #1 Ivy Nile recently worked with Ripley on WWE RAW

Maxxine Dupri is rapidly becoming one of WWE's most popular female stars. She started on the main roster in 2022 as part of the Maximum Male Models. She eventually joined Alpha Academy and has slowly progressed as an in-ring competitor.

Rhea Ripley went one-on-one with Maxxine after the latter cut a promo on the former last week on WWE RAW. Unfortunately, the up-and-coming star was destroyed by the unstoppable Women's World Champion. However, just working with Ripley gave her a bigger spotlight than ever before.

Ivy Nile also had a staredown with Ripley post-match and could soon be wrestling The Eradicator. Ivy and Maxxine have quickly become friends on TV. Their pairing could benefit a lot by sharing the screen with The Judgment Day member.