You know you have a star on your hands when that person doesn't need a championship belt around their waist for people to pay attention. WWE has that in Rhea Ripley, regardless of which brand she's on. Her first appearance in the Mae Young Classic showed some promise, but it was her second appearance that showed her true star potential.
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Ripley was the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion, the only title or honor Asuka has not yet achieved. She was also the first woman to hold both NXT women's championships. As of this writing, Ripley is still on NXT but a jump to the main brand is inevitable, and new match ups will come with it. Here are ten Rhea Ripley dream matches that fans could be fortunate to see in the near future.
10 Lacey Evans
The Sassy Southern Belle is one of those competitors who feels like she's perpetually on the verge of breaking through. Lacey Evans keeps skirting around the edge of the championship scene, always almost picking up gold. Her time at the top of the mountain will come one day.
In the meantime, Evans needs to keep building her reputation and facing off against one of the most imposing members of the Women's Division is a great way to do that.
9 Asuka
For a long time, Asuka was the face of dominance in the WWE thanks to her legendary unbeaten streak and her run as the NXT Women's Champion. After a few up and down years, Asuka actually seems to be finding a rhythm, again, as the most recent Money In The Bank winner and the RAW Women's Champion.
If Ripley wants to become the number one player in the Women's Division, she will have to not only face Asuka but defeat her. If you want to be The Woman, you have to be The Woman. In the WWE, that's Asuka.
8 Big Swole
Now on the rise in AEW, Big Swole briefly flirted with the WWE as an entrant in the Mae Young Classic. Whatever the reason was that she didn't end up with NXT permanently after that, one hopes WWE realizes that they slept on a remarkable talent.
If she ever pops back up in WWE, Big Swole and Rhea Ripley would have a huge match. They're both athletic, powerful and the future of women's wrestling.
7 Bayley
At first, Bayley's heel turn seemed like a bad idea. She was a perennial fan favorite and one of the biggest faces the company had. While it may not seem obvious now, this turn was actually a massive risk but it paid off beautifully. Bayley has since grown into the character and is doing some of her best work in years. That's why she's become Bayley Dos Straps.
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Her run as the SmackDown Women's Champion has been absolutely dominant but it has to end at some point. Rhea Ripley would be an excellent choice to end Bayley's run.
6 Raquel González
Earlier in her NXT and prior to her association with Dakota Kai, Raquel González was known as Reina González. She had a lot of trouble finding a foothold and getting noticed. But then she turned heel with Kai, and changed her name to Raquel, which got the ball rolling.
She actually teamed with Ripley at a few times at various house shows. They made quite a dominant duo. But now is the time for Reina and Ripley to face off and tear the house down.
5 Natalya
While she's not always in the main event scene, Natalya is the heart and soul of the WWE Women's Division. But that's what happens when you're keeping a legendary wrestling family in the game. It's often said that she knows more about wrestling than almost anyone else on the roster, in any division.
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Much like Asuka, facing off against Natalya is a right of passage Ripley needs to make if she's going to be in that top spot. It almost doesn't matter who wins the match as much as it happens.
4 Hikaru Shida
For a lot of people, AEW was their first introduction to Hikaru Shida and she has not disappointed. The current AEW World Women's Champion has been in the business since 2008, working primarily in Japan and the US.
Her time in AEW has only served to raise her profile even further. If Shida ever makes her way to WWE, she and Ripley would turn in one hell of a match.
3 Ember Moon
Trained by Hall of Famer Booker T, Ember Moon quickly became a fan favorite in NXT. After losing the championship to Shayna Baszler, Ember Moon made her way to the main roster. Moon was still looking for a way to break through when she was injured.
She has been open about the fact that it might be a career ending injury but nothing is for sure, yet. If she does make it back to the WWE, and everyone hopes she does, a match with Rhea Ripley had better be in the cards.
2 Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard made history when she became the Impact World Champion, the first woman to hold the belt. More recently, she made history by becoming the first woman to be stripped of the Impact World Championship while her contract expired. She may make her way to AEW but NXT is also a possibility.
WWE reputedly passed on her once after an appearance in the Mae Young Classic but things have changed. If she does become the next WWE signing, a match with Ripley is a must.
1 Adam Cole... Bay Bay
Recently, there has been a lot of talk of Charlotte Flair competing for Men's Championships. So far, nothing has come of it but this potential match would open a door for the WWE that they have been hesitant to walk through. After all, intergender matches are quite common outside of the company, so what's stopping them?
If the WWE does let this happen, booking a match between Adam Cole and Rhea Ripley would be more than worth it. It's a historical fight in waiting to happen. These are two wrestlers at the top of their game, and letting them face off against each other would be a huge moment not just for them, but for the company as well.
NEXT: Rhea Ripley’s 5 Best WWE Matches (& The 5 Best She Had In The Indies)
