The June 30 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw started with Rhea Ripley. The former champion was fresh off her victory over Raquel Rodriguez at Night of Champions, and she was looking to “get her priorities straight.” But before she could say more, the current WWE Women’s World Champion IYO Sky interrupted her. With WWE Evolution 2025 on the horizon, the match was made. IYO Sky versus Rhea Ripley at Evolution 2025. Big match? Yes. But is it the right match at the right time? Probably not.
Rhea Ripley is a megastar. She’s one of the biggest names in professional wrestling, regardless of gender and promotion. Her presence elicits a reaction everywhere she goes, and she’s the type of star who draws interest whenever she’s on the screen. She’s a foundational piece of women’s wrestling in WWE for the future. However, that doesn’t remove the point that WWE is failing in how it books the rest of the women’s division.
IYO Sky is a fan favorite in her own right. Look back at the type of reaction she’s received for years, even back to her series of title matches against Bianca Belair in 2023. Sky is over with the fans, and they want to see her featured as a top name. But for some reason, WWE continues to water down her booking in a way that has cut into her momentum heading into Evolution 2025.
Sky won the title from Ripley as a surprise during the March 3 episode of Monday Night Raw. She would go on to defeat both Ripley and Belair in a triple-threat at WrestleMania 41, putting on one of the best matches of the year. What has she done with the title since? Nothing. Absolutely Nothing.
Sky has had zero title defenses since April 20, nearly three months. Since winning the title, she’s had only four matches in total. Two tag matches and two singles contests. That is not nearly enough, especially when attempting to build the momentum of a champion heading into what should be a strong title run. It is indefensible to book a champion the way WWE has done with Iyo Sky this time around, and it is yet another example of how Triple H’s booking is starting to wear on fans.
Rhea Ripley will win the championship but the women’s division needs new challengers
Rhea Ripley as WWE Women’s World Champion isn’t a bad thing. As mentioned, she draws attention every time she’s on television as a champion should. But what about the rest of the division? Is there room for other women to blossom into new stars in their own right? Look at what WWE is doing with Lyra Valkyria in her angle against Becky Lynch and Bayley. She’s going to come out of that a bigger name.
Ripley would be a great name to help build other names in the division while on her quest to regain the championship. Along the way, Sky should have feuded with different women like Asuka, Kairi Sane, or Stephanie Vaquer, for example. WWE Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, is right there on the schedule. The perfect opening for Ripley to win the title back. She did not need to be thrust right back into the main event for Evolution 2025.
The WWE women’s division is stacked with talent across all three shows. With so many performers available, it is frustrating to fans to see the same few names remain at the top of the card. Rhea Ripley is one of them, and she’s back in the main event heading into WWE Evolution 2025. No one will be surprised if IYO Sky’s title reign comes to an end, and it will seem like a missed opportunity once again.