3 challengers for Liv Morgan with Rhea Ripley injured

Rhea Ripley is out injured. Multiple outlets are reporting that the former women’s champion has a fractured orbital bone. On October 29 she was attacked by Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez in the infamous NXT parking lot, leaving her a bloody mess. This move will write her off television while she recovers. In the meantime, WWE will have to quickly pivot to build new challengers for Morgan’s championship reign. Here are three women who could stand in the gap.

Alba Fyre

The WWE Monday Night Raw roster has a hidden gem in Alba Fyre. She’s one of those performers who doesn’t get nearly enough television time, especially when factoring in how talented she is as a professional wrestler. If given the opportunity to shine, Fyre can easily find herself among some of the best names in women’s wrestling today. The potential to build her momentum on the fact that she held the NXT UK Woman’s Title for 649 days is more than enough fodder to get things going. Pushing Fyre to the top to stand across from Morgan would be an interesting build for an underutilized talent.

Lyra Valkyria

WWE continues its hot and cold approach to Lyra Valkyria. There was a moment when she was riding a wave of momentum and was the favorite to become the Queen of the Ring. But that has all screeched to a halt. Some point to Becky Lynch’s absence. Others point to Triple H’s inability to book the women’s division. Still, she’s someone who the fans were starting to get behind. There’s proof that WWE can build interest in her by giving her solid wins. The question is whether the creative team will dedicate the time needed to rebuild her on the main roster.

Raquel Rodriguez

Raquel Rodriguez is another individual who has struggled to maintain momentum on the main roster. Now that she’s back, she’s slid into a prominent position in a top story on the show. But with Ripley injured, there’s an opportunity to have Rodriguez turn on Morgan in an attempt to take her position as the top woman on the show. Then, when Ripley returns this would be a huge three-way battle that involves a wealth of history between the three women that would go all the way back to WWE NXT. These are the types of stories that elevate the women’s division without being tied to the male gaze, and what fans of women’s wrestling want to see.