Honorable Mention: Giulia
Rhea Ripley vs. Blake Monroe, Lash Legend, or Alexa Bliss would all be fresh matchups that have never been done before on WWE television. However, Rhea Ripley vs. Giulia was a match that was done on television on the road to ‘Mania.
During that match, Giulia delivered a brutal stomp to Ripley that bruised her eye. That match inconclusively ended in disqualification to protect Giulia, who was the U.S. Champion at the time. However, now that she has lost the title to Tiffany Stratton, Giulia can move up from mid-card to the main event scene and run it back with Ripley for a world title match. If not, she can just be relegated to the tag division with Kiana James.
However, it must be noted that none of these opponents on SmackDown would be more ideal to dethrone Rhea Ripley than IYO SKY, who is currently on Raw and will be battling Asuka at Backlash this Saturday. If IYO SKY wins the Queen of the Ring Tournament this year and challenges her best friend, Rhea Ripley, for the WWE Title, she would essentially move to SmackDown to reunite with her best friend.
IYO has had Rhea’s number since day one, as Ripley has been unable to defeat her. That track alone makes her the biggest threat. And, if IYO SKY beats her again at SummerSlam, that could make Ripley snap, turn heel, and break the team of RHIYO forever.
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