Ranking #9 – Carmella
Last week – 3
She’s been back all of five minutes but Carmella is already causing ripples across the Women’s Division.
With her team coming out victorious on RAW, Carmella could not resist gloating and causing a match to be booked between Asuka and Liv Morgan on Smackdown. ‘Mella would grace us all with her presence on the commentary table and portrayed a considerable knack for calling the in-ring action.
The Fabulous one could not resist some digs at her opponents however and this brought the others out, resulting in an eventual melee to break out.
At Elimination Chamber, Carmella made it to the end after eliminating Natalya and Raquel Rodriguez (with Asuka’s aid).
Ranking #8 – Bianca Belair
Last week – 9
After a couple of weeks away from the ring, RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair took to the main event of RAW to remind us all exactly what she can do.
Taking on arguably two of her biggest rivals of her career, Belair worked hard to ensure that neither one would be added to the Elimination Chamber. Damage CTRL tried to interject in the match but the participants of the chamber match agreed with Belair that they did not need any additional obstacles.
As of now, Belair now knows her opponent at Wrestlemania will be her past ally, Asuka. Surely this will remain a friendly competitive rivalry, unlike the last time Bianca faced an ally… right?
Ranking #7 – Liv Morgan
Last week – 7
Say what you will about her position on the roster, Liv Morgan has proven herself quite the workhorse this week.
Although she took the fall on Monday and came up short against Asuka on Smackdown, we have to take a second to consider how far Morgan has come since her NXT days. Despite Asuka’s booking, she is still considered a considerable threat in the WWE so for Morgan to go toe to toe with The Empress of Tomorrow and appear strong, even in defeat, is quite the evolution.
In keeping with the new extreme attitude of Morgan, she would be one of the first competitors to start the Elimination Chamber and would risk injury as she hit a sunset flip powerbomb from the top of the pod. It took two submission specialists to eventually remove Morgan from the match and even then it was not of her own volition after the referee had to make the call to protect Morgan from injury.
Ranking #6 – Rhea Ripley
Last week – N/A
Royal Rumble winner, Rhea Ripley, had her own roadblock on the way to Wrestlemania in the form of a Glamazon.
Returning on RAW to protect her Dominik from another glam-slam, Ripley had the upperhand going in to Elimination Chamber. The match reserved a large portion of ring time for the women as Beth Phoenix took on the Nightmare.
Ripley continued to prove herself as a dominant addition to The Judgment Day, at one point even stopping Finn Balor from tapping out while she herself endured a painful submission.
She may not have been victorious but Ripley cannot focus on this as she will have her first interaction with her Wrestlemania opponent this week.
Ranking #5 – Ruby Soho
Last week – 12
In a match that was originally booked a few weeks ago, we finally saw Ruby Soho take on Britt Baker and Toni Storm in the main event of AEW Dynamite this week.
While Baker would be joined by Jamie Hayter and Storm would of course bring Saraya, Soho went in to this triple threat match alone. The saga of knowing where Soho’s allegiances lie continues to play out, with Soho being visibly disapproving of Saraya attacking a member of the audience but then also made it clear at the end she was on no side when caught between Hayter and Saraya.
Ranking #4 – Beth Phoenix
Last week – 6
There are only so many ways one can commend another wrestler for their in-ring ability and lament on how they retired too early but Beth Phoenix is one of a kind.
Since her retirement, we have seen her in the ring various times but this past weekend at Elimination Chamber cemented the fact that not only can Phoenix still go with the best of them, she can also beat the best of them.
In a hard-hitting match filled with near falls, brutal shots and even foul language, Phoenix and Ripley delivered one of the best mixed tag team matches in recent memory.
In a truly feel good moment, The Grit Couple got their revenge over the Judgment Day and while Phoenix did not secure the win, she did take out Ripley with a sickening glam slam on the outside. Cue the ‘you still got it’ chants.
Ranking #3 – KAIRI
Last week – N/A
Not to underestimate the impact and presence her opponent has but it would be a disservice to KAIRI to not acknowledge that it takes two to tango.
Selling out the Battle in the Valley when they were the only match announced is a considerable achievement in itself and proves that women can sell when they are treated as equal to their male counterparts.
KAIRI’s reign as the IWGP Women’s Champion may have come to an end but she played a vital role in introducing the world to Mercedes Moné in the first of two main events from Battle in the Valley.
What is next for the former champion remains to be a seen but a second match between the two would not go amiss.
Ranking #2 – Mercedes Moné
Last week – N/A
For months, she has been the hot topic among the wrestling world but when Mercedes Moné finally let the world know her next destination was going to be Battle in the Valley, the anticipation began to grow.
Before the bell could even ring, the crowd were chanting ‘this is awesome’ and it truly was an experience to witness Mercedes in her element, embracing her passion for wrestling that she has vowed to never lose and putting it all on show in the ring.
The match saw the two competitors bring each other to the limit and take full advantage of the officials 20 count to ensure the action would spill outside the ring too.
With homages to other women’s wrestlers, Moné also did not miss the opportunity to show the world who she is and came out with the victory and the title.
Ranking #1 – Asuka
Last week – N/A
Make no mistakes, this is a different Asuka that what we are used to. Coming out on top not once, not twice but three times this week, it would have been difficult to argue placing Asuka any lower than the top spot.
Not only were her victories impressive showings of the skills that others may have forgotten she had but the one at Elimination Chamber secured her a spot at Wrestlemania and her first one on one title shot since 2021.
We expect to see Asuka and RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair cross paths this Monday night, just how will champion greet challenger as Wrestlemania draws ever closer?
As always, share your thoughts in the comments and also tell us some of your favourite moments from the past week in wrestling!
