10 Times WWE Picked The RIGHT Wrestler At The WRONG Time
9. Rhea Ripley
Man, Rhea Ripley's great isn't she?
The most over member of the most over stable in the WWE, Rhea is set to dominate the company's women's division for years to come. Credit must also go to the oft-maligned WWE Creative, who have ably assisted Ripley's meteoric rise in the past year with some deft booking.
Which makes it all the more surprising that Rhea's first run as a champion on the main roster was such a disappointment.
After dethroning Asuka at WrestleMania 37, Ripley proceeded to...to...
...nope, drawing a blank.
OK, she definitely lost the title to Nikki ASH, of all people. That this is the sole memorable moment of her title reign sums up the problem, as neither Ripley or WWE Creative were ready for her first run as champion. Rhea was stuck in an awkward tweener position that she clearly wasn't comfortable with, and it affected her confidence. (Rhea's one of the best in-ring talents in the company, but her work around this took a notable dip from the world-beating form she showed in NXT). Meanwhile, WWE Creative struggled to come up with anything meaningful for her until they booked her to drop the belt to a flash-in-the-pan midcarder.
Thankfully, the talented Ms. Ripley has come on leaps and bounds since then. Watching Rhea come into her own and banish the demons of her past reign has been an utter joy, and the future of women's wrestling looks very bright indeed with Judgement Day's Mami leading the charge.