Ranking #10 – Lyra Valkyria
Last Week – N/A
As the NXT Women’s Title picture still has a question mark surrounding it, the Ladder match at Stand & Deliver is starting to become clearer.
This week’s NXT saw two more qualifying matches to enter the match and Lyra Valkyria emerged victorious in the shorter of the two.
Not only was Valkyria featured in a victory over the impressive Ivy Nile but a promo would air earlier in the night declaring a victory for her at Stand & Deliver.
Ranking #9 – Taya Valkyrie
Last Week – 5
Taya Valkyrie continues to succeed in her new home on AEW. The TBS Champion, Jade Cargill, had been missing for some weeks but now has a new challenger to confront and is being built up each week.
Valkyrie and Cargill are currently locked in a Battle of the Finishers scenario which has been entertaining to see play out, especially when Valkyrie would answer the Cease & Desist order by hitting the offending manoeuvre on Mark Sterling.
Ranking #8 – Tiffany Stratton
Last Week – N/A
From Daddy’s Little Rich Girl to NXT Women’s Champion? If Tiffany Stratton is to be believed, this statement will be true come Stand & Deliver.
Stratton would defeat Indi Hartwell in a competitive match this week but the momentum from all her victories since returning perhaps gave Stratton the edge and the win.
Later in the show, Stratton would interrupt another participant of the match, Gigi Dolin, had reiterated that she will be leaving Stand & Deliver with the title. Stratton has been on a hot streak since her return to NXT and is likely a favourite to win.
Ranking #7 – The Outcasts
Last Week – 2
The Outcasts continue to find their groove as a trio within the AEW Women’s Division.
This week Toni Storm would represent the stable with a victory over Skye Blue on Dynamite before the group were chased off by Riho and Willow Nightingale once again, mirroring last week.
The AEW Women’s Champion was unavailable for AEW this week which likely caused this minor stop gap in their feud but soon The Outcasts will need to do more with their momentum.
Ranking #6 – Natalya & Shotzi
Last Week – N/A
Having previously tagged together to get revenge on a common enemy, Natalya and Shotzi’s alliance has been extended to Wrestlemania as they become one of the three confirmed teams for the Wrestlemania Showcase.
Shotzi would carry out the majority of in-ring action against seldom seen Lacey Evans and Xia Li but one tag to Natalya and a Hart Attack later, we get our victors.
Ranking #5 – Tasha Steelz
Last Week – N/A
We last saw Tasha Steelz back in January when it was reported that she had requested some time off.
During that time, Steelz was in an alliance with Savannah Evans so when she came out at Sacrifice, many thought it was to realign with Evans. Apparently Evans thought this also and was blindsided when Steelz took out not only Evans but Jai Vidal as well.
Steelz would see off Gisele Shaw and her entourage before checking on Deonna Purrazzo.
Ranking #4 – Deonna Purrazzo
Last Week – N/A
The Virtuosa’s babyface run in Impact continues with two impressive victories over Savannah Evans and Gisele Shaw.
It’s been a change of pace seeing Purrazzo outnumbered and overpowered given her history as Knockouts Champion but a new ally emerged at Sacrifice so things may be likely to change on that front.
On top of this ongoing rivalry, Purrazzo has an opportunity to earn a future Knockouts Title match at Multiverse United where the winner will be added to the match at Rebellion.
Ranking #3 – Bianca Belair
Last Week – 7
This past week finally saw the tension between RAW Women’s Champion and her challenger kick it up a notch as we move closer to Wrestlemania.
Bianca Belair would continue her incredible success on RAW with another victory by hitting a KOD on Piper Niven, showing off her physical strength in the process.
The aftermath of the match did not go so well for Belair after she was taken out by Asuka in a move that took the champion by surprise. Asuka has been coming to the aid of Belair in recent weeks despite their pending match so Belair will likely address this on RAW.
Ranking #2 – Asuka
Last Week – N/A
Finally.
While the attack on RAW is not a full reset of Asuka’s new direction, which was perhaps losing steam following her impacful return at the Royal Rumble, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
After the duo were successful in tag team action, Asuka would take out the RAW Women’s Champion and leave her lying in the ring.
With one more RAW before Wrestlemania, it will be interesting to see how Belair will respond and what repercussions await Asuka.
Ranking #1 – Rhea Ripley
Last Week – 3
While the build hasn’t been spectacular for her match, Rhea Ripley is a must see attraction of Wrestlemania season as one of the most consistently booked women.
This week saw both Ripley and Charlotte deliver promos but Ripley’s would be interrupted by Damage CTRL and despite not being in her gear, would result in Ripley taking on Bayley.
While shenanigans did ensue with Damage CTRL at ringside and the appearance of Trish Stratus and WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Lita and Becky Lynch, the ending to the match was still quite clean.
A pinfall singles victory over one of the four horsewomen as she prepares to take on Charlotte is a perfect way to keep building Ripley as the threat she is.
What did you make of this week’s women’s action? What do you expect from the week ahead? Let us know in the comments!
