Rhea Ripley Fends off Charlotte Flair to Retain Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania Backlash

WrestleMania Backlash kicked off with the Raw Women’s Championship match. Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Asuka faced off in an exhilarating triple threat match which set the tone for the rest of the PPV. Who emerged victorious in this battle?

Rhea Ripley beats Charlotte Flair and Asuka

If you found the Raw matches between Ripley and Asuka botchy and they lacked chemistry, they got it right tonight. The X factor in this match was obviously Charlotte Flair, who registered another excellent PPV performance.

Flair busted out every move in her arsenal, but couldn’t put her opponents away. We frequently saw Ripley and Asuka team up to keep Charlotte down, including a huge double superplex. Flair proved why she’s the Queen of WWE, by taking Ripley and Asuka down together and trying to pin them at the same time.

The action was fast and frantic, with all three women looking to hit one big, match-winning move. Asuka tossed Flair with German suplexes and kicked Ripley in the face multiple times, but the winner of the inaugural Royal Rumble couldn’t get the pinfall.

In the end, we saw Asuka apply the Asuka Lock, only for Flair to counter into a Figure Four attempt. Asuka kicked Flair away, but the Queen booted Asuka in the face. With Asuka dazed, Rhea Ripley slid in and hit a match-winning Riptide for the win. After the match, Ripley taunted Flair as the Queen looked on in anger.

We’re getting Flair vs Ripley soon

Rhea Ripley has effectively dealt with Asuka, and she’s ready to move on to the next challenger. Throughout the match, Charlotte Flair proved she had Ripley’s number, but the Raw Women’s Champion escaped with her title.

After the match, Ripley taunted Flair, and the Queen pointed at the Women’s Title. This clearly states Charlotte Flair is still gunning for her tenth Women’s Championship in WWE. As for Asuka, it’s time for her to return to the mid-card and perhaps wrestle the likes of Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax and other members of the Raw Women’s division.

Flair vs Ripley could take place at the next PPV, and we hope WWE doesn’t waste this match on Raw. Ripley has been waiting since WrestleMania 36 to face Charlotte in a singles match and right the wrong of her NXT Championship loss.

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