10 Wrestlers Who Overdelivered In 2023
5. Rhea Ripley
While Rhea Ripley has clearly been positioned for great things for many years now, it hasn’t always seemed likely that WWE would actually pull the trigger. Her main roster debut against Charlotte Flair was WrestleMania 36’s best match but the wrong woman went over, while her first World title run underwhelmed, and for much of 2022 she was lost in the shuffle.
Who knew that the missing ingredient was Rey Mysterio’s greasy son?
Ripley has been a revelation in 2023, the single greatest reason the Bloodline went from Edge’s boring stable to one of the company’s best storytelling tools. She adds value wherever she’s placed, whether gobbing off from the side of the ring or pulling the strings backstage with her gaggle of goth boys.
She’s not always given the most to do in the ring simply because she’s booked so dominant, but when it works - her exceptional make-right with Charlotte at this year’s ‘Mania - she has all the ingredients. And with a big PLE in Australia to kick off 2024, it’s hard to see that momentum disappearing any time soon.