Rhea Ripley to turn heel on tonight's WWE RAW? Potential explored

Rhea Ripley battled IYO SKY and Naomi in a Triple Threat Match for the latter's Women's World Championship at WWE SummerSlam 2025. After an incredible display, the bout ended with The Glow securing the victory and retaining the gold.

However, Naomi has been scheduled to defend the title in a one-on-one match against IYO SKY on tonight's episode of RAW. The bout was made official last week after SKY asked for a rematch since she wasn't the one who was pinned in the title match at The Biggest Party of The Summer.

That said, while the former Women's World Champion will look to regain the title tonight, Rhea Ripley might turn heel and cost her the gold in a shocking twist. During a backstage segment on the red brand last week, Mami told SKY that nothing could make her happier than to beat the latter for the title.

WWE punished Cody for being too popular? Check now!

Given this incident, Ripley might attack The Genius of the Sky during her championship match tonight against Naomi and cost her a potential Women's World Title win. This could be the Triple H-led creative team's plan of having Mami return to being a heel since she is seemingly not as dominant as a babyface.

This angle is speculative as of this writing, and fans will have to wait and see the turn of events tonight on RAW.

Why Rhea Ripley should return to being a heel

Many viewers believe that Rhea Ripley's career as a babyface has seemingly reached a plateau. This has been proven by the numerous losses she's sustained in her attempts to regain the Women's World Championship since losing it to IYO SKY on the March 3 episode of RAW.

Arguably, Mami has seemingly achieved more success in her career as a heel than as a babyface. Hence, Ripley potentially turning heel could reintroduce her as an unstoppable force and enable her potential to be fully utilized. She could finally regain her place at the top of the women's division as a world champion.

That said, this angle is speculative, and Rhea Ripley returning to a heel character hasn't been confirmed. Only time will reveal what the Triple H-led creative team has in store for the superstar.

About the author

Bethel is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He has also attended a virtual school where he was certified in Effective Communication in English. His grasp of the language and his utmost dedication to researching and verifying information help him ensure he is unbiased, practical, and nonjudgmental as he writes about the world of pro wrestling.

When he looks back at how he got hooked onto WWE, Bethel particularly recalls WrestleMania 30 in 2014. Here, he saw and became an avid supporter of Roman Reigns for his courage and boldness. However, his all-time favorite is WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin because of his rebellious ways and how he would thumb his nose at authority.

All of this has led Bethel to work for multiple institutions. He quickly learns the content guidelines and completes his and the company's targets effortlessly. One of the highlights of his career was covering WrestleMania 41 in 2025.

When Bethel is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to indulge in reading and singing.

Know More

Is Roman Reigns leaving WWE soon? Check all the details!

Edited by Arsh Das