Surprise WrestleMania bout for Rhea Ripley, unexpected heel turn - 4 directions for Raquel Rodriguez following WWE RAW return

WWE Monday Night RAW was a packed house. An alleged 13,000+ fans were in attendance in California for what was one of the more stacked and entertaining episodes of the red brand's weekly show in quite some time.

One of the intriguing bouts featured close to 20 of the top female stars in the company. A Last Chance Battle Royal was held for a spot in the Women's Elimination Chamber Match at the big Premium Live Event this Saturday.

While the bout featured most of the stars you would expect, Raquel Rodriguez made her return to television after being gone for a few months. The powerful woman not only returned for the bout, but ultimately won the match and punched her ticket to the big-time Australia show.

Now that the former NXT Women's Champion is back on Monday Night RAW, fans are wondering what will come next for her. This article will take a look at a handful of possible directions for Raquel over the coming weeks and months.

Below are four directions for Raquel Rodriguez following WWE RAW return.

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#4. Raquel could feud with Nia Jax

Nia Jax on RAW

Nia Jax is a despised superstar who has been a villain throughout most of her wrestling career. During her original run with the company, she held the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles and RAW Women's Championship. Nia returned to the company last year.

The powerful woman is set to battle Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship at WWE Elimination Chamber Perth on Saturday. While she could certainly win the bout, most believe Nia will fall to The Eradicator.

Supposing Jax does indeed lose, she could then begin feuding with Raquel. Rodriguez and Jax have battled in the past and had surprising chemistry together. A renewed feud with Raquel standing tall could be beneficial for both woman and lead to bigger things in 2024.

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#3. She could turn heel in WWE

Raquel Rodriguez on WWE's main roster is known for a few things. She is a multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion. Raquel is also one of the most powerful women in the promotion. Beyond that, she is perhaps best known for always being the smiley babyface.

Some people take issue with how she has been presented and argue her best run came as a heel on NXT. While on the black and gold brand, Raquel won the WWE NXT Women's Championship and NXT Women's Tag Team Titles. She was also a dominant heel at points, who either served as a bodyguard or a major threat to every woman on the brand.

Now that she is back in action, it may be time for Raquel to turn heel again. She does her best work as a villain and this would allow her to feud with the likes of Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Candice LeRae, Indi Hartwell, and Tegan Nox, among others.

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#2. Raquel Rodriguez could reunite with Liv Morgan and challenge for tag team gold

Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan

As noted, Raquel Rodriguez is a multi-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. In fact, she held tag gold on RAW, NXT, and SmackDown throughout her time in the Sports Entertainment juggernaut.

She won gold with the likes of Dakota Kai and Aliyah, but it could be argued that her best tag team partner was Liv Morgan. The pair held the belts together last year until injuries got in the way. Both had a few setbacks, but now they're back in action.

This could be a chance for the pair to reunite and once again try to dominate the tag team scene. Given that there are more women's teams than ever before, they would have more competition in the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship picture. With their star power, it would only boost the titles, the division as a whole, and whoever they compete against.

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#1. She could win the Elimination Chamber Match and battle Rhea Ripley

The WWE Women's Elimination Chamber Match set to take place this Saturday is going to be absolutely stacked. The talent involved in the bout is some of the best in the company and in the world of professional wrestling as a whole.

Tiffany Stratton, Naomi, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair are the six women scheduled for the match. They are all former champions, either on NXT, RAW, or on SmackDown. They're also six women who could and should lead the company for years to come.

The winner of this bout will go on to challenge Rhea Ripley for the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 40. While most believe that either Liv or Becky will do it, Raquel could surprise everybody by winning the bout and becoming a headline act at the biggest show of the year. Could she finally take down Rhea for the prized belt?