100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)

WrestleMania 36 was a sucky experience for Rhea Ripley. Sure, she'd have been over the moon to finally appear on the biggest shows of the entire year, but the event took place in the quaint confines of the Performance Center in front of exactly zero fans. Worse, Ripley was booked to drop her NXT Women's Title to Charlotte Flair for the night two opener. The dream of appearing at 'Mania had been scuffed by circumstances beyond Ripley's control.

Three years later, both Rhea and Charlotte redeemed their feud with a classic over the then-SmackDown Women's Title at 'Mania 39. This time, they were higher up the card on night one, and Ripley was a much bigger star than she'd been back in 2020. Sensing that she needed closure on the Flair story, WWE put Rhea over. It was a tidy display from Charlotte too.

Flair suffered what appeared to be a busted nose during the bout, but she didn't let that stop her from making Ripley look like an all-conquering alpha female who wouldn't be denied. Charlotte deserves immense credit for that, and for powering through the pain. Thank God for adrenaline, eh?! Seriously though, what a tank.

This would prove to be the true start to Ripley's own dominance of the women's scene after a few false starts between 2020-2022. She had to be loving it as some 67,000 fans cheered her victory. Dissatisfying memories of WrestleMania 36 faded into the background as WWE came through for one of their brightest breakout stars.

What a classy match all round.