10 Signs That WrestleMania 36 Could Be A Crushing Disappointment

4. Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley Doesn't Feel Hot

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The Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley programme feels bigger written down.

It started well if blandly enough; Charlotte Flair teased who she was going to challenge on RAW a month or so back. After a week of mystery, NXT Champion Rhea Ripley decided to challenger her, in order to prove whether Charlotte still had what it took to hang with the newer generation/gradually siphon viewers away from AEW Dynamite to further monopolise pro wrestling as WWE strives forward into a global dystopia of chinlocks and "You see..." promos (delete as appropriate).

NXT's screen credit was far superior. On Wednesday nights, Bianca Belair was thrust into the story too effectively; many fans were dismayed when the teased Triple Threat did not materialise.

Things were less elegant on RAW. Ripley was going to say the word "a*se", and then Flair cut her off, a joke structure people found faintly amusing on milquetoast '80s three-camera sitcoms.

And then, last week, Ripley exposed her greenness by making sure to get her pose in as the woman she had defended two weeks prior was in the process of getting her ankle crushed.

The heavily-promoted show itself drew NXT's worst Nielsen in a long time - the sixth-lowest since the move to USA - which in parallel with Flair's post-2018 in-ring regression doesn't suggest a great, heated match is imminent.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!