Raw Women’s Championship match
Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
Nikki A.S.H. is still trying to convince us that almost is enough but is having trouble getting past the royal roadblock that is Charlotte Flair. Oh, also Rhea Ripley is there. Tonight at SummerSlam, it’s everyone’s favorite - a triple threat!
The Road to SummerSlam
Nikki A.S.H. won the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase on July 18. When she unclipped the briefcase to secure her future championship title opportunity, the crowd went wild in person and on Twitter. Nikki is a superstar that has been working her butt off in every division she has graced in WWE, and it was a genuinely satisfying moment to see her grab the briefcase. It was exactly the type of moment that was made for the Money in the Bank match.
Her celebration continued the next night on Raw when she cashed in her briefcase on then champion Charlotte Flair after a brutal post-match beatdown from Rhea Ripley.
Many fans were disappointed that Nikki didn’t get a chance to develop her new “superhero” character by holding the briefcase longer (seriously, what is it with immediate cash-ins in the women’s division?), but their joy at Nikki finally getting the main title belt outweighed the annoyance. She finally did it!
That exciting 24 hours aside, however, the build to this match - and Nikki’s entire reign as champion - has been lackluster. Charlotte Flair is mad that she lost the championship in such a “cowardly” way. Nikki is still trying to make the “almost a superhero” thing work with stilted “believe in yourself” monologues and a dubious win/loss record. And Rhea? Well, Rhea just wants to be noticed. It’s one of the most manufactured storylines in WWE right now, and that’s saying something! #ItsATripleThreat
What’s at stake?
For Charlotte Flair, another win means another record broken, and her legacy cemented even more. For Rhea Ripley, a win would give her another chance to convince us that she does belong on the Raw roster. Her title reign was fine, but it didn’t do much for her character or the division. Another reign may give her the opportunity to fix that (but probably not).
And for Nikki A.S.H.? Well, not to be dramatic, but the entire legitimacy of Nikki A.S.H.’s title reign is at stake. If she can’t get past Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley - two former champions and two competitors that both see her as cute at best and an annoyance at worst - then she’ll always be stuck in the limbo of “almost” enough. It’s bad enough that she has to call herself “almost a superhero” every week. Which fair, whatever. She’s not actually a superhero, but she is actually the champion, and it would be nice if they started treating her that way.
Poll
Who will win?
This poll is closed
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53%
Nikki A.S.H.
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34%
Charlotte Flair
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11%
Rhea Ripley