The March 3 WWE Raw had a surprise ending as Iyo Sky pulled off a major upset over Rhea Ripley. WWE had heavily pushed the idea that Elimination Chamber winner Bianca Belair would face whichever of these women emerged as champion. Given how heavily featured Rhea Ripley has been—especially over the last two years—the prevailing assumption was that she would beat Sky cleanly and progress to this more meaningful challenge at The Showcase of the Immortals.
With her victory, it appears Sky has now punched her ticket for WrestleMania. There are other possibilities, though. Maybe the Road to WrestleMania has changed, but maybe we’re just on a detour en route to the same destination everyone expected.
Triple H Has Shown A Willingness To Shake Up The Road To WrestleMania
What Happened On Raw Is Not The Biggest Surprise Of WrestleMania Season
- Booking Jey Uso’s Royal Rumble victory and John Cena’s heel turn were genuinely shocking moves.
- Iyo Sky beating Rhea Ripley is another huge surprise.
- Triple H may go in different directions than fans expect, or simply change the paths to expected destinations.
One of the fun elements about the Road to WrestleMania 41 has been Triple H’s clear willingness—as Chief Content Officer—to throw in some curveballs. While a few fans predicted Jey Uso vs. Gunther at WrestleMania, hardly anyone expected Uso to win the Royal Rumble. The writing was on the wall about John Cena challenging Cody Rhodes at ‘Mania, but Cena turning heel at the end of Elimination Chamber proved even more shocking.
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Iyo Sky taking the Women’s World Championship off Rhea Ripley is another big surprise. It further establishes that, while there’s a long history of WWE coasting to WrestleMania with the major matches in place, the current booker is willing to change directions or at least throw in surprising kinks to the plans fans anticipated.
Iyo Sky Got Her Title Shot Because Rhea Ripley Made The Honorable Choice
Iyo Sky Only Got A Title Shot Because Rhea Ripley Accepted She’d Done Wrong By Her
- Rhea Ripley cost Iyo Sky her Elimination Chamber qualifying match.
- Rhea Ripley offered The Genius of the Sky a title shot to make up for her mistake.
- It seems well within Rhea Ripley’s rights to ask her fellow babyface for a rematch.
Rhea Ripley put herself Iyo Sky’s path on purpose. The Eradicator inadvertently cost Sky her Elimination Chamber qualifying match and offered The Genius of the Sky this title opportunity as a “make good”, so she still had a fair chance at making it to WrestleMania.
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Given Ripley did the right thing and gave her fellow babyface an extra opportunity, it makes sense she’d be completely within her rights to ask Sky to extend her the same courtesy. After all, shouldn’t an archetypal babyface champion be willing to give the former champ a rematch? It only makes sense that Ripley would implore Sky to give her this chance and that Sky would say yes.
WWE Raw Can Get More Raw Main Events Out Of Rhea Ripley Vs. Iyo Sky
The Women’s World Championship Title Change Match Was Superb
- Iyo Sky’s consequential upset win elevated an already strong match.
- A rematch, framed around Rhea Ripley making her last bid to factor into WrestleMania, could be even better.
- If Rhea Ripley were to win back her title, it could set up a rubber match with Iyo Sky before WrestleMania.
As anyone paying attention would have predicted, Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky in the Raw main event was an excellent match. The only thing it seemed to have going against it was that it seemed so unlikely Sky would prevail. The fact that she did win arguably elevated the bout to even greater heights.
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In a title rematch, there’s every reason to think these two women would get the main event slot again and every reason to think that, reframed as Ripley’s last chance at a title opportunity at WrestleMania, the drama would be even higher. If WWE were to play its cards right, they might even get two Raw main events—Ripley taking her title back, and finally a rubber match between these two before the champion is set in stone heading into The Showcase of the Immortals.
Rhea Ripley Vs. Biance Belair Is Still The Right Match For WrestleMania
It’s Admirable To Set Up Very Different World Title Stories For WrestleMania
- Rhea Ripley vs. Biance Belair is a main roster dream match.
- A Triple Threat Match scenario for WrestleMania 41 is possible.
- Rhea Ripley having a hurdle to overcome could be interpreted as similar to how Triple H booked Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39.
While Iyo Sky is a phenomenal talent, when it comes to star power and build over the last year, she just isn’t on the same level as Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair. The EST vs. The Eradicator is a low-key dream match fans have been wanting on the main roster for years, and it only makes sense that this would be the match of choice for WrestleMania. Alternatively, a Ripley vs. Belair vs. Sky Triple Threat would have all the makings of a banger.
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In booking Sky into the mix, Triple H may well have made a clear move to diversify the world title pictures this ‘Mania season. Whereas Jey Uso vs. Gunther and John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes are set, and it’s just a matter of promos and filler matches paving their way to Las Vegas, there’s something refreshing about a genuinely different story. Over on SmackDown, Tiffany Stratton’s a new enough champion that it doesn’t make sense to meddle with her credibility before a WrestleMania showdown with Charlotte Flair. On Raw, though, Ripley is plenty well-established to weather some ups and downs and look more human and beatable going into WrestleMania–a not altogether different tack than Triple H took in booking Rhodes to lose at WrestleMani 39, only to win at WrestleMania 40. On top of that, Belair may well have some drama left to unfold with Jade Cargill and keep her occupied in interesting ways while she waits and sees whom she’s actually challenging in Allegiant Stadium.