6 Ups & 8 Downs From WWE Raw (Jan 17)

7. Ripley Sells For Perennial Loser

Rhea Ripley Nikki A.S.H.
WWE.com

Nikki ASH as a delusional villain who thinks she’s the hero is not a terrible character. But WWE once again has decided to ignore their own history in presenting her.

In the weeks leading up to her turn, Nikki was the weak link of her team, constantly beaten easily and always the teammate in peril. So naturally, when she and Rhea Ripley were to square off, she got the upper hand and left her laying Monday night with a beatdown.

No, Nikki didn’t use a weapon to gain the upper hand, just a shot to the back and a few fists and boots before a shove into the steps. Had WWE not spent months portraying her as a pint-sized wrestler who was mostly ineffective, it wouldn’t have looked ridiculous to see Ripley sell her a** off for her.

The story isn’t terrible, but as usual, the execution is lacking, and Rhea is the worse for it.

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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 fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.