5 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE NXT (Aug 12)

3. Rhea Ripley's Plight

Speaking of which, what has happened to Rhea Ripley?

This angle with the Robert Stone Brand feels like a total waste of her star power, and it oddly isn't helping anyone else get over either. That'd surely be the only point to it. Instead of that though, the story is sucking the life from Ripley and is another misstep for her in 2020.

It's pretty clear that Rhea's time on NXT has come. She can talk up her love affair with the brand all she likes, but she has nothing left to do there. Ripley isn't in the Women's Title scene right now, hasn't got a top-tier opponent to battle outside it and has been reduced to warring with a manager who gets run over by toy tanks.

Perhaps the only silver lining is that a straight-up one on one match between Rhea and Stone client Mercedes Martinez could be a breakout moment for the latter. That doesn't soothe Ripley's worries though - it's clear she needs a change of scenery.