6 Ups & 3 Downs from WWE Raw (30 June - Results & Review)

4. IYO SKY Chooses Rhea Ripley

Rhea Ripley IYO SKY
WWE.com

Raw opened with word that IYO SKY chooses Rhea Ripley as her title rival for the next Evolution PLE on 13 July.

Get your Ralph Wiggum, "I Choo-Choo-Choose You" memes in early, folks. You've got to love that WWE got shifting on Evolution business straight away as soon as Monday's flagship started. They had to, because that show is just a few short weeks away, and they'd confirmed nothing but an NXT Women's Title bout for the card. Now, things are beginning to take shape.

IYO being a fighting champion who doesn't shirk the best and wants to prove herself one on one against someone like Rhea is a simple story that’s easy to get onboard with. Their Triple Threat with Bianca Belair at ‘Mania 41 was a scorcher, so expect this to be great too. There's no reason why SKY and Ripley shouldn't tear the house down in Atlanta in mid-July.

They've got chemistry together, that's for sure. It might be on Rhea to carry most of the promo work before the match, but IYO was perfectly fine here. She didn't try to be too elaborate on the mic, but instead kept things straightforward by sending out the challenge then listening to Ripley's response. Simple.

Fans seemed into what they were seeing too. Why wouldn't they? SKY vs. Rhea is the kind of match any WWE card would be lucky to have. Pittsburgh surely wished it was happening in front of them rather than at Evolution. Cracking way to kick off Raw, this.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.