It has been said that Rhea Ripley is a ‘can’t miss’ Star. After last weekend’s events, the statement cannot be any more accurate.
Since Ripley’s 180 transformation from the long blond hair beauty at the inaugural Mae Young Classic, there isn’t anything that stops her from being the total package. From her bad ass look to the loud music screaming “This is my brutalityyyyyy!”, Ripley makes her statement with little to no ease at all. Her impact on the NXT roster has started and her takeover of the NXT Women’s Division is inevitable.
With NXT’s overall domination at Survivor Series, there’s no doubt that the former NXT UK Women’s Champion received a well-deserved MVP award. An incredible November that includes an upset win on Smackdown over Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair was just a little taste before Ripley continued her onslaught during Survivor Series weekend.
Ripley’s strength and tenacity was tested both at War Games and Survivor Series. Despite the odds and obstacles, Ripley was able to pull out a victory at each event, which ups her value to the NXT Women’s Division. Furthermore, that weekend puts the former Mae Young Classic competitor as the woman to watch for the entire WWE Women’s Division this coming year.
With that success, it is no surprise that Ripley is on course to dethrone the Queen of Spades herself, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler. In her second reign, Baszler is trekking her way towards Asuka’s historical 510 day reign. As of this writing, Baszler is just shy of 400 days as Champion. Her dominance speaks for itself, as competitor after competitor has given their best, but could not overcome the Submission Magician.
Baszler also proved her dominance at Survivor Series, where she defeated both Bayley and Becky Lynch in the main event. However, fans haven’t forgotten that Ripley outsmarted Baszler at War Games, giving Baszler her first pinfall loss in over a year. The fact that Ripley holds a pinfall over the NXT Women’s Champion gives her a great advantage as she has now formally challenged Baszler.
Ripley comes with a swagger that commands attention and demands respect. Her athleticism and toughness is what gives Ripley the biggest chance at dethroning Baszler in the NXT Women’s Division. Additionally, Ripley isn’t the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Champion for no reason. The distinction shows that Ripley is held on a pedestal as she continues to prove why she made history to begin with.
There is no doubt that Ripley in on course to an incredible career in the WWE. War Games and Survivor Series was just the start of it. Baszler’s days as Champion look to be numbered, and we could be seeing a new NXT Women’s Champion before we know it.
