Predicting The Quality Of All 13 WWE WrestleMania 39 Matches

4. Charlotte Flair Vs. Rhea Ripley - SmackDown Women's Title Match

Cody Rhodes Roman Reigns five stars
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The pressure is on here. Massively so.

Charlotte Flair is nowhere near the wrestler she was in 2018, during which she was outstanding. Her match with Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series in particular was such a vicious and believable scrap. It was one of the few times WWE has approached the dangerous energy of combat sports. Elsewhere, showing her range, Charlotte's Last Woman Standing match with Becky Lynch was one of the best plunder brawls in company history.

Now, Christ. She looks like she's wrestling a rehearsal NXT match most weeks, and that describes both the pace and quality of her work.

But!

The old Charlotte has only resurfaced against Rhea Ripley in recent years, and happily, that's who she's working at 'Mania.

They have great, compelling physical chemistry, and the match may take on a fascinating dimension if the crowd refuses to accept Ripley as the heel. It could be intriguing on multiple levels.

It could also be a rough and sloppy disaster in the main event slot, since the build is cold and most people want to see the Undisputed Tag match headline.

Is form temporary?

Remember: there's always one massive let-down at 'Mania...

Predicted Star Rating: ★★¾

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!