Why Charlotte Flair Beat Rhea Ripley At WrestleMania 36
The real reason Charlotte become a two-time NXT Women's Champion.
Charlotte Flair bested Rhea Ripley to become NXT Women's Champion for a second time at WrestleMania 36, forcing 'The Nightmare' to tap to the Figure Eight after a bruising, attritional fight that has attracted more critical acclaim than any other conventional bout on the card.
An eyebrow-raising result for many a fan and highly-flammable fuel for Flair's growing army of critics, though Dave Meltzer has since come through with an explanation.
Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer stated that Charlotte overcame Ripley was WWE believes she can help NXT gain ground on AEW in the Wednesday night ratings war, with current plans calling for 'The Queen' to work Wednesday nights and Raw.
AEW Dynamite has defeated NXT in overall viewership and most demographics every single week in 2020. Charlotte's black-and-gold appearances are yet to spark ratings in any meaningful way so far, though perhaps this will change now that she's at the top of one of the best divisions in wrestling.
Ripley's reign lasted 109 days and saw successful defences over Toni Storm and Bianca Belair. She has plenty of time to recover at 22 years old, though her defeat has been a tough pill for many to swallow.