SUMMARY
- WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley recently got injured.
- Here are some of the favorites to replace Ripley in the company for the time being.
With hardly a week having passed since WrestleMania 40, WWE has already begun preparing for Backlash, their upcoming PLE. When Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley appeared on Monday Night RAW, in front of a sold-out Montreal crowd, people witnessed something shocking. The Eradicator discussed the assault Liv Morgan committed on her on RAW the previous week.
However, before all of that, Rhea something announced that the audience hardly noticed coming. In her promo, Mami disclosed that she is formally withdrawing from the Women’s World Championship following a shoulder injury. “I’ve been told that I need to vacate the one thing that means the most to me: my Women’s World Championship,” said Mami.
According to Bryan Alvarez of WOR, Rhea would take 4-6 weeks to gain mobility and then 3 months to back in action. This leaves a spot to be filled in the women’s division and there are quite a few contenders for the Women’s World Champion.
While there is no information regarding how the new champion will be decided, there are many speculations regarding the way a new champ will be crowned. Several fans believe that there will be a Gauntlet match to determine the new champion. Despite the way, there are several arguments regarding who will be the next Women’s World Champion.
Rhea Ripley’s old rival, Nia Jax
The Irresistible Force Nia Jax has nothing but carnage set up in her mind. She has battled Rhea on two different occasions but wasn’t able to put her down. Seeing the intensity between the two, Jax has been a constant foe of the Eradicator and wants nothing but the big gold belt around her waist.
As RAW will present the new Women’s World champion next week, Jax might be a strong contender to win it. Nia fought Mami at Crown Jewel 2023 in a multi-women match and the main event of Elimination Chamber 2024 in a one-on-one match.
Bianca Belair
The EST of WWE is never out of the title picture and the same might be the case here. While being a part of SmackDown currently, Belair would surely look to capture the gold and be on top of her game once again.
BIANCA BELAIR WAKE UP! PUT DOWN THE SEWING MACHINE https://t.co/inQ3PtTbq7
— rob | president of the ESTate (@robbelair) April 16, 2024
With Ripley vacating her title, Belair is still the longest reigning Women’s Champion with 420 days as champion. Seeing her back in the title picture would be perfect for her fans and will also bring a lot of star power to RAW.
Alexa Bliss
With all the ongoing screen glitches and hints, people are speculating Uncle Howdy to return. Along with the return of Uncle Howdy, Alexa Bliss might also make her surprise comeback and shock everyone. With an excellent build-up and hype, Bliss would surely be cheered by the fans on her comeback.
AND NEW?! Will Lexi @AlexaBliss_WWE be the next Women’s World Champion?! Find out next week in the Goddess’ hometown of Columbus Ohio. 💁🏼♀️✨ https://t.co/1B8N6ODFFU pic.twitter.com/ol6hgGrGa5
— Pep Bliss (@BlissPep) April 16, 2024
The Five Feet of Fury has previously been a champion and has been a fan favorite since aligning herself with Bray Wyatt. It would be interesting to see if Bliss finally returns and gets crowned as the new Women’s World Champion in front of her hometown crowd.
Liv Morgan
The main reason behind Rhea vacating her title was the attack made by Liv Morgan as a part of her revenge tour last week. With a lot of heat on her on the internet, Morgan is the most prominent choice to become the newest Women’s World Champion. Given her history with Ripley, she might become one of the best heels on the Red brand.
Liv.Morgan.Revenge.Tour.
Buckle up, kids. pic.twitter.com/jgT0b1CygW
— LIV Morgan (@YaOnlyLivvOnce) April 16, 2024
Liv might head up as the women’s champion and shake the women’s division once and for all. Many also speculate Ripley to return by SummerSlam and face Liv for the title in an instant classic bout. While there might be many more contenders for the vacant title, it will be interesting to see where WWE goes with this storyline.
As for Becky Lynch, she might not be able to make it as she is on leave after coming up short at WrestleMania XL. That leaves for a new face to shine and become the Women’s World Champion. Only time will tell who will be crowned as the newest Women’s World Champion.