Ranking #10 – Willow Nightingale
Last Week – N/A
The Owen Hart Tournament has begun in AEW this week and despite being the Strong Women’s Champion, Willow Nightingale has not yet had that big victory in AEW so this tournament is an excellent opportunity for her.
A challenge awaited her in the form of former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose who would wound Nightingale’s arm throughout the match. In spite of this, Nightingale prevailed and would secure herself the victory.
This victory would not go unnoticed by The Outcasts who would, led by the current AEW Women’s Champion, hit the ring and attack Nightingale.
Thankfully, Skye Blue would make the save and ensure that Nightingale’s victory was not spoiled. Nightingale will get the chance for vengeance at Forbidden Door as she takes on Toni Storm.
Ranking #9 – Charlotte
Last Week – N/A
In a warm up match ahead of her title shot next week, Charlotte would wrestle her first match since Wrestlemania against a familiar foe in the form of Lacey Evans.
Rocking new ring gear, Charlotte would make short work of Evans with her patented Figure Eight but before she could relinquish the hold, the WWE Women’s Champion, Asuka, would attack her whilst in a vulnerable position.
Charlotte seems unfazed by this attack however, noting on social media that as expected, she still has Asuka’s number.
Ranking #8 – Rhea Ripley
Last Week – N/A
In an opportunity to avenge what happened to her at Night of Champions, Natalya got a match against the Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley.
Unfortunately, the results would be almost identical except this time, Ripley didn’t even let the bell ring. As a means of demonstrating her dominance, Ripley would decimate the third generation wrestler in and around ring before laying her out with a riptide.
Backstage, Ripley would come across Raquel Rodriguez vowing to cash in on her, should she become Ms. Money in the Bank this year. An eventual confrontation may be on the cards for these two eventually but we know it won’t be at Money in the Bank.
Ranking #7 – Kris Statlander
Last Week – N/A
Continuing the trend of defending her title in almost every match she is in, Kris Statlander would go one on one with the last challenger of the belt before she won it: Taya Valkyrie.
Valkyrie has been seen watching Statlander’s matches as she defends the TBS Championship and has seemingly been awaiting her opportunity against the new champion.
It would come close throughout, as expected after Valkyrie gave the former champion Jade Cargill repeated challenges, but Statlander would overcome yet again and remain our TBS Champion.
Ranking #6 – Thea Hail
Last Week – N/A
This week’s NXT would hold a pep rally for the No.1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Championship, Thea Hail.
Serving as an opportunity to pump up Hail ahead of her match and remind us all that she only just graduated high school last year, the crowd would give Hail a ‘Hail Yeah!’ before Tiffany Stratton would come out, disgusted by the presentaton.
As Stratton would promise us that Hail could not beat her, Hail would immediately lock her in a submission hold and the champ would desperately tap out to be freed.
Hail goes in to next week’s title match with all the momentum.
Ranking #5 – Skye Blue
Last Week – N/A
A front runner in the current Owen Hart tournament has got to be Skye Blue. Coming off an impressive week last week, Blue carried this success in to the tournament by knocking off Anna Jay in her first match of the tournament.
Blue would appear again on Collision to save Willow Nightingale from a post-match attack orchestrated by The Outcasts, a trio that Blue has also had her issues with.
As much as she will be focused on the tournament, Blue will be watching the title match at Forbidden Door closely as her recent success has not gone unnoticed.
Ranking #4 – Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez
Last Week – N/A
The former tag team champions made quite the impression this week, first with Raquel Rodriguez putting on an impressive match with Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus on RAW.
Raquel may not have won the match, through no fault of her own, but she still managed to issue a warning to the Women’s World Champion before heading to Smackdown to watch the Women’s Tag Team Unification match.
She would not be involved in the match but Ronda Rousey wouldn’t let her leave quietly which prompted Raquel to reveal that she and her tag team partner want their rematch. This brought out the medically cleared Liv Morgan to a pop, returning way ahead of her predicted recovery, and it has been made official. The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles will be defended at a PLE!
Ranking #3 – Trish Stratus & Zoey Stark
Last Week – N/A
It’s never too late to start having firsts and Trish Stratus will prove that when she competes in her first ever Money in the Bank match with Zoey Stark on her side.
The duo have continued to target Becky Lynch which ironically would work in their favour this week as Lynch would attempt to counter Stark at ringside before she would put hands on Stratus and get Raquel Rodriguez disqualified.
It seems this may have part of a larger scheme for Stratus and Stark but regardless, they have both earned their spots in a match where there can only be one winner so it’ll be interesting to see how their egos may co-exist.
Ranking #2 – Athena
Last Week – N/A
The ROH Women’s Champion would take it to the streets this week in a Chicago Street Fight as she defended her title against Kiera Hogan.
They have gone back and forth for sometime, perhaps one of Hogan’s most high profile moments in her career where she has had the chance to show her ability in the ring. The match would ultimately break down into an all out fight at times, fitting for the stipulation, but Athena would once again emerge the victor.
In a post match interview, not even finished patting herself on the back, Athena is already asking who will step up next.
Ranking #1 – Shayna Baszler & Ronda Rousey
Last Week – N/A
Agree or disagree with the decision, we have unified the WWE Women’s and NXT Women’s Tag Team titles this week and the current champions are Shayna Baszler & Ronda Rousey.
It would be this pair who issued the challenge to Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn a couple of weeks ago and they would win by forcing both their opponents to tap out.
The match itself was exciting to watch, another great showcase for tag team wrestling and with Fyre/Dawn not being at all intimidated by Rousey/Baszler and their history of running through the division.
Unsatisfied with just the victory, the new champions would try to taunt Raquel Rodriguez who had been watching at ringside and this brought out Liv Morgan.
Say what you will about the champions, they have been booked consistently since winning the belt and we are about to see the titles defended at a PLE. Long may this booking continue!
What did you think of this week’s women’s action? Who would make your Top 5 for this week?
