WWE: 5 opponents for NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley

On their latest episode of WWE NXT, Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Bayzler for the NXT Women’s Championship.

It was a moment that makes professional wrestling so special. A hot fan favorite against the biggest villain in the company for the top prize in the company. In defeat, Shayna Baszler made Rhea Ripley a bigger star than she was the day before. That is what a great professional wrestler does in defeat.

The next part of this story is how Ripley will continue to ascend as champion. Now that she is champion, it will be her responsibility to carry the NXT women’s division on her shoulders. This article will look at five opponents for new NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley.

Dakota Kai

Dakota Kai has been successful in her character transition and is now the top villain in NXT. Due to the polarizing nature of the NXT audience, that is not an easy task to accomplish. When Kai turned on her team at NXT WarGames, it was a predictable but exciting change in direction. NXT can tell the story that Rhea Ripley was the captain that team at WarGames, and Kai turned on a Ripley-led War Games team.

This match should not take place for a few months. Kai needs to gather steam as a villain in front of the NXT fanbase. There is no reason for Ripley to lose the title quickly to Kai. As Kai is becoming a stronger villain, feeding her to Ripley early in both characters’ development would be a poor story to tell.

Kai and Ripley are a part of the group of wrestlers that will carry the torch of NXT in 2020. Their story should be a well-developed feud. Both wrestlers need to gain equity with fans before they lock up in the middle of an NXT ring.