Rhea Ripley needs to win the most at WWE WrestleMania Backlash

Claiming Rhea Ripley “needs” to win so soon into her main roster run could be classed as an overstatement – but that is the case heading into her first pay-per-view title defense against Asuka and Charlotte Flair at WWE WrestleMania Backlash next Sunday.

Originally booked as a one-on-one contest between “The Empress of Tomorrow” and Ripley – Flair wormed her way in by manipulating authority figure Sonya Deville, claiming it would be a “bigger deal” if she was added to match.

Since defeating Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship on night two of WrestleMania 37 – Ripley has been placed on the backburner, with the returning Flair taking most of the spotlight. “The Queen” claimed she is “the opportunity” on WWE Raw, and the show “needs her”. Asuka has gone from being champion to playing the role of a spear part in the feud – she is an afterthought in this storyline.

WWE is heading towards a program between Flair and Ripley – they have a history together. When they resume hostilities without Asuka – Ripley has to be the titleholder in that situation, nothing else would make sense.

Vince McMahon made a poor decision when he booked Flair to beat Ripley for the NXT Women’s Championship at the Show of Shows 13 months ago – he cannot make the same mistake twice.

Taking that into consideration, here is why Rhea Ripley must retain her championship at WrestleMania Backlash.

After Asuka’s lackluster 231 days with the Raw Women’s Championship – Ripley has been a refreshing change as the top female on Monday nights. She carries herself as a star, is believable in that role, and has shoulders broad enough to carry the division for the next five years – that is why the Australian needs to get off to a strong start with the title by holding off these two formidable challengers.

Since Flair returned to Raw on the night after WrestleMania – she has been featured in two long segments and has competed more times than Ripley. WWE holds Flair in high regard, rightly so, but she should not feel more important than the champion – that seems to be the case at the moment. The red brand’s women’s division must be built around Ripley. She is only 24-years-old, and is the present and future of WWE – she should not be playing second fiddle to anybody.

Ripley should not be positioned as a transitional champion, she is so much better than that. Ripley needs a long run with the title – that is the best way to solidify her as the biggest female star on Raw. Ripley dropping the gold after a month would be counter-productive – echoing what happened at WrestleMania last year. That defeat harmed Ripley – it took her a while to recover from that setback – she should not be placed in a position where she questions her ability again.

On two occasions, WWE has put the title on Flair when it was unnecessary – ironically Asuka and Ripley were involved on both occasions, right before WrestleMania 35 and at WrestleMania 36. It would be a travesty if they repeat the trick three years in a row.

The best scenario for WrestleMania Backlash would see Ripley pin Asuka. That would allow Flair to state that she did not lose, her rival did, and she deserves a singles match with Ripley. That bout could take place at Money In The Bank next month, with Ripley defeating the former 14-time women’s champion to leave nobody in doubt who the best is.

After putting Flair in her rear-view mirror – Ripley can move onto fresh opponents such as Naomi, Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, Alexa Bliss, and Becky Lynch.

The latter held the top female prize on Raw for over a year – there is no reason why Ripley cannot surpass that, she has all the tools to.

Getting past her first hurdle is important – WWE has to realize the star they have in front of them. WrestleMania Backlash has to be the first of many successful title defenses for “The Nightmare”.