WWE Payback 2023: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True

10. Raquel Rodriguez Looks Like A Jobber

Rhea Ripley's combined televised Women's World Title defences since winning at WrestleMania have amounted to just 21 minutes and 6 seconds. Those matches? Zelina Vega at Backlash and Natalya twice at Night Of Champions and on Raw respectively.

She's a wrecking machine Mickey from the Rocky movies would be proud of, basically, but that doesn't inspire hope for Saturday's bout vs. Raquel Rodriguez. It'd be totally crap if Raquel (who matches up well physically with Ripley) was thrown in the same camp as "underdogs" the Judgment Day brute has destroyed since winning the belt.

That'd be unnecessary, and it wouldn't even add anything to Payback's card.

WWE shouldn't get into a nasty habit of presenting Rhea as Goldberg circa 1998. She's far too skilled a worker for that sort of thing. Occasional squash matches are perfectly fine, but not against somebody the promotion still has high hopes for like Rodriguez. It's really important she looks competitive.