6 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 37 - Night 2

3. Ripley Has Her Crowning Moment

Rhea Ripley
WWE

Last year should have been a career-defining moment for Rhea Ripley. She was slated to defend her NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 in front of 80,000 fans. Then the pandemic hit, and Charlotte Flair beat Ripley in an empty Performance Center for the title.

But on Sunday, Ripley got her redemption, fighting Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship and defeating the Empress in a solid title bout. The match pitted Asuka’s speed and varied offense against Rhea’s brute strength, which proved to be too much for the champ. Asuka pulled out all the stops, hitting a DDT off the apron to the floor and repeatedly going for submission moves.

Ripley countered with power moves, like deadlifting and powerbombing Asuka to break up armbar attempts. In the end, Rhea dodged a kick and nailed Riptide for the win, earning the title and getting her moment in the spotlight.

As with Bianca Belair Saturday night, you hope WWE is ready to push her properly and make sure they don’t screw up this star-making turn.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.