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There were rumors that Charlotte Flair would choose to face Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36 for the NXT (Women's) Championship. It came off as a surprise and on the latest episode of RAW, it was seemingly confirmed that this is going to be the direction for The Queen.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reflected on the Women's Royal Rumble match and wondered why it was Charlotte Flair who won the Royal Rumble rather than Shayna Baszler - who is expected to challenge Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship at Royal Rumble 2020.
Either way, we're positive about this match-up. The only negative of this is that the Rhea Ripley-Bianca Belair match at NXT Takeover: Portland is essentially pointless since we know what the result is going to be.
Either way, let's jump into it and talk about five reasons why Charlotte Flair is challenging Rhea Ripley for the NXT Championship at WrestleMania 36.
#5. To get an NXT title match on the WrestleMania show
There have been rumors for years of WWE wanting an NXT Championship match at WrestleMania. However, in the last few years, Takeover has been glued to a Big 4 PPV weekend and given its showing - always outdoing the "main roster" PPVs on all but one or two occasions.
They seem to have done away with NXT Takeovers during PPV weekends and this is the perfect time and place to get an NXT title on the WrestleMania show. However, since fans may not be invested in an NXT title match at the show of shows, they need a big, recognizable star to give fans a reason to care about the match.
Either way, it's going to be a great match to watch.
#4. To further establish NXT as the third brand
If NXT wasn't the third brand before 2019, then the move to the USA Network cemented it. Triple H made it very clear that he wanted to erase the term "main roster", with NXT being the third brand.
The brand would get its biggest push yet at Survivor Series 2019 when they were involved in the crossover PPV for the first time. The Wild Card rule benefited NXT in the long run since that seemed to be the only reason why they were involved at Survivor Survivor in the first place.
At Survivor Series, NXT would dominate both RAW and SmackDown, beating them in the overall score to "win" Survivor Series. That was the big push to put NXT on the same level with RAW and SmackDown.
While it still isn't on the level of RAW and SmackDown in terms of ratings, the viewership numbers aren't too bad by television standards. This move might be another big push to establish NXT.
#3. To put Charlotte on NXT and draw more eyes to the product
A great move that WWE made when NXT moved to the USA Network was to put Finn Balor back in the brand. NXT was where he thrived at and his first run was as a babyface. This time around, he turned heel and he's been having a great feud with Johnny Gargano.
Having established RAW or SmackDown stars on NXT gives the show a much bigger feel - especially in the small Full Sail Arena. Charlotte will be going to NXT this Wednesday night to answer Rhea Ripley's challenge and given that the feud has been teased, it's all but certain to happen.
Charlotte being on NXT will undoubtedly bring more interest to the product, even if she's not a proven ratings-mover. It'll be good to see highlights of NXT on RAW and SmackDown to promote the match-up as well, which will give more casual fans a reason to tune into WWE's "third brand".
#2. A fresh match-up
This is another logical reason to go with this match-up at WrestleMania - and another reason why we love it. 2019 saw Charlotte Flair feud with Becky Lynch from early 2019 until Money in the Bank. She would lose the SmackDown Women's Championship to Bayley and feud with her until later in the year, winning the title back from her once, only to lose it back shortly thereafter.
Realistically speaking, the idea of Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch or Charlotte Flair vs Bayley at WrestleMania isn't exciting at this point. They're matches that we've seen many times before and it's more logical for Bayley to face Sasha Banks at WrestleMania.
As for Becky Lynch, she's rumored to face Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36. Rhea Ripley is an exciting name and a match-up against her is a fresh one - something that WWE desperately needs for WrestleMania.
With that said, we believe the card is shaping out to be a lot better than many people expected.
#1. To establish Rhea Ripley as the next big star in WWE
Rhea Ripley is one of the next big superstars in WWE and that's been clear for a while now. She had a great year in 2019 and before, during and after WarGames in November, she's become one of the most rapidly improving superstars in WWE - male or female.
It's clear that they view superstars like her, Bianca Belair and Keith Lee with high regard based on the way they're portrayed in their brief crossover appearances. For Ripley, she was given a big push before Survivor Series 2019 as well, beating Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks.
Even at Survivor Series, she won the Elimination match for her team. Her momentum would take her to the top of the mountain in NXT - where she dethroned Shayna Baszler and ended her long reign of terror.
While it would be a big stage to hold a title change, the general logic would be that Charlotte Flair can establish Rhea Ripley as a major star if she loses to her at WrestleMania.
