10 Worst WWE Matches Of 2021 (So Far)
6. Rhea Ripley Vs. Nikki Cross (Monday Night Raw, May 24th)
The booking of Rhea Ripley since making her long-awaited (and overdue) leap to the main roster in January has bordered on promotional malpractice.
The former NXT Champion occupies a truly wretched space on Monday Night Raw, trapped in a storyline with Charlotte Flair where it’s completely unclear who - if anybody - we’re supposed to be cheering for. Never was this as overtly on display as when she lost a Beat-The-Clock challenge to Nikki Cross by seemingly forgetting the stipulation she’d suggested precisely one segment earlier.
The task at hand was to beat Cross in under two minutes, and she dithered and f*cked around and failed. That was it. The work wasn't entertaining, there was no thrill in the chase as the seconds ticked away. It was a segment of television only explained away by everything else just as awful happening elsewhere on the show.
A paper Champion already, this made a mug of ‘The Nightmare’ as well as Cross, who celebrated as if she’d just worked and won an Iron Woman match. This was 58 minutes less work for 58 times less of an achievement.
And speaking of ridiculous run-times...