Ranking Every WWE Championship Reign Of 2023
2. Rhea Ripley - WWE Women's World Championship
When Rhea won the then-SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39, Michael Cole threw in his standard WWE buzz-words by describing it as a "star-making performance". The match was great but what's really made Ripley one of the most important pillars of WWE programming this year has been everything since.
2023, like the hearts of simps all over the internet, has absolutely belonged to Ripley. She's improved on the mic and learned to soak up every moment of screen time to get herself over as a character. Her ring work has always been good, but she feels like she's clicked with everything this year and could arguably be called the best all-around female wrestler in the world today. She knows how to maximise her potential every time she walks through the curtain.
In fact, she's not only the only woman in the top merch shifters for the company this year, but she appears twice in the top 10 - thanks to her Judgement Day affiliation.
Being the lone female member of an otherwise all-male stable usually comes with the stink of being an awkward additional wheel to the proceedings. Not so with Ripley, who is far and away the centre-piece of Judgement's Day success.