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Deville and Pearce are in the ring and they summon Ripley. They say she blatantly broke the rules last night in order to retain her title and that’s unacceptable. Ripley says she just did what Charlotte would do. Flair comes to the stage and she says she isn’t mad, in fact she respects what Ripley did. It was the first time she showed that she’s a strategic competitor. But make no mistake about it, she will destroy her next time. Deville makes the rematch official for Money In The Bank.
Flair attacked Ripley with the title before the match officially got started. They went back and forth and when Flair got on offense, she worked on Ripley’s left leg.
The first near fall came after Flair hit Ripley with the Natural Selection. Flair tried to get leverage by putting her leg on the middle rope but Ripley still kicked out. Flair missed a moonsault off the top but she adjusted and did a flip onto Ripley into a pin attempt.
Ripley continued to favor the left leg throughout the match. Flair dropkicked the leg into the steel steps so that made things worse. Flair locked in the figure four but Ripley was able to grab the rope. Ripley then dragged Flair out of the ring and then she was disqualiied when she hit Flair with the cover for the announcer’s desk. Ripley attacked Flair after the match. It looks like they will do this match again soon.
The music of the Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley hits, distracting Flair. Cross rolls Flair up for a one count. Flair quickly knocks Cross out of the ring and sends her into the barricade before taunting Ripley. Flair continues to attack Cross and puts her in the ring.
We return from the break to see Flair applying a chin lock. Cross fights up and cradles Flair for a near fall. Flair takes her down and chokes Cross on the ropes in front of Rhea Ripley, who is seated at ringside. Flair chops at her and accidentally hits her in the ear. Cross tries to roll Flair up, but Flair stops it and stomps the chest. Flair props Cross up on the top rope and chops her. Flair talks a little trash to Ripley as well. Cross fights Flair back and boots her in the face. Cross then hits a tornado DDT, knocking Flair out of the ring. Cross goes to the apron and tries for a cross-body block, but Flair catches her. Flair holds her up and smiles at Ripley. Ripley just smiles. Flair then hits a fall-away slam on the floor. Flair taunts Ripley and gets counted out. Cross got back in the ring.
Cross celebrates at ringside before Flair big boots her down. Flair gets her in the ring and elbows away at her face. Flair goes for the Figure Eight, but Ripley runs in and hits the Riptide.
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley says to Sarah Schreiber that she’s going to send Charlotte Flair to the back of the line after this Sunday.
Asuka outsmarts Ripley and gloats to start the match. Ripley fights back and absorbs a clothesline, so Asuka goes to an octopus stretch. Ripley fights out and takes Asuka down for a two count. Ripley hits some short-arm clotheslines until Asuka fights back. Asuka goes for a whip, but Ripley puts the brakes on. Ripley goes for a corner dropkick, but she crashes and burns when Asuka moves. Ripley avoids an attack at ringside. Ripley blocks a kick and puts Asuka in the electric chair before slamming her off the barricade.
We return from the break and Asuka soon hits a hip attack on Ripley for a two count. Ripley comes back with a northern lights suplex for a near fall. Asuka hits a throw and a sliding kick for a near fall. Ripley eventually fights back at Asuka and hits the Riptide for the win.
Immediately after the bell rings, Charlotte Flair attacks Ripley. They get into a huge brawl that has to be broken up by officials. Flair’s nose got busted in the ordeal.
Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are interrupted by Charlotte backstage and she asks for her loss to Nikki Cross to be stricken from the record because she was goaded into that match. They refuse and she says they’re just jealous but asks for a rematch. Rhea Ripley appears and says, unlike Charlotte, she respects Nikki Cross. Deville suggests they team-up to face Nikki and a partner of her choosing and they reluctantly agree.
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte are backstage and Flair tells the Champion to follow her lead. Rhea isn’t interested and says her Championship means more than Charlotte’s experience, so she can follow her lead.
We start with Charlotte and Nikki and they lock-up but Flair immediately shoves her down. Ripley tags in and she locks-up with Cross and slams her down face-first. Cross tries to roll her up but Ripley kicks out. Cross ducks Ripley and tags Asuka. After a lock-up, Asuka avoids her and dances, but Ripley strikes her. Asuka counters Ripley and applies a Black Widow submission but Rhea breaks it and slams her.
Charlotte tags herself in but Asuka tags Cross and they double-team her. Nikki and Asuka make use of quick tags until Flair takes a headlock on the Empress but Rhea tags herself in again. Asuka knocks Ripley from the ring and Charlotte comes of the apron to mock her and Rhea shoves her. Rhea looks to get back in the ring but Charlotte rips her back off and drills her with a forearm in the face.
Back live and Flair and Ripley are tagging themselves in and attacking Cross while taunting each other. Ripley hits a stalling vertical suplex and waves at Flair while holding the Scot up. Ripley hard tags Flair in and Cross catches her with a jawbreaker. Flair ducks an enzuigiri and goes after Asuka, but Asuka avoids her. Flair lifts Cross and accidentally hits Ripley with Cross’ feet, and the Champion isn’t happy. Cross rolls Flair up for a near-fall, then Rhea tags in but Cross hits her with a bulldog as well.
Asuka tags in and attacks Ripley before knocking Flair off the apron and hitting Ripley with a facebuster. Ripley reverses a kick and hits a northern lights suplex for a near-fall. Cross makes a tag and hits a crossbody but Ripley kicks out. Flair throws Cross out of the ring and tells Ripley to tag her in. The Champion doesn’t want to, so she and Flair get into a brawl. Ripley goes for the Riptide but Flair rakes the eyes and hits Natural Selection. Cross covers Ripley for the win.
Charlotte says Rhea Ripley’s had a nice run but it’s over. In a few weeks she’ll be sending her to Hell. Ripley comes down to the ring and Charlotte looks miffed. Ripley says Charlotte can go to Hell and they come face-to-face. Miz tries to ease the situation and gets them to sit. Miz asks Rhea who she is and John makes a joke about garlic but Ripley just says she’s a nightmare for the entire division. We see footage of Rhea unable to beat Nikki Cross in two minutes last week. Charlotte laughs and says if she couldn’t beat Cross, she’ll never beat her.
Nikki Cross comes down to the ring and apologises for interrupting. She says she beat the RAW Women’s Champion last week, so it’s only fair she get the first title shot to the winner of the match at Hell In A Cell. Rhea says if there had been four minutes on the clock, Cross wouldn’t even be standing this week, but she did earn her respect. Cross says she could beat Charlotte in two minutes as well. Charlotte laughs and says she could beat her in one minute but Cross slaps her. Flair says she’s on.
*Commercial Break*
The match begins and Charlotte tries to grab her but Cross ducks it and rolls from the ring. Cross taunts Charlotte until she goes out, then Nikki rolls back in and dances. Ripley is at ringside and she taps her watch at Charlotte, who goes for Cross again but can’t catch her. There’s one minute left and Nikki hides behind Ripley, who stands in Charlotte’s way.
Ripley and Flair argue and Cross runs back into the ring. Charlotte manages to catch Nikki with a knee, then drops her with a forearm. Flair puts Cross on the top rope but Nikki punches her a few times and hits a tornado DDT. Charlotte drops her and tries to apply a Figure Four but the time runs out and she looks mortified with herself. After Nikki wins, Charlotte turns to Rhea, blaming her for what just happened, as Rhea is yelling that Charlotte is nothing but a loser that’s why she lost.
We see video from earlier today where Ripley confronted Flair backstage and wished her good luck for tonight’s match with Asuka. They had words with Flair saying Ripley just wants to be like her. Flair then said it will be her face Ripley sees inside the Cell at Hell In a Cell. Nikki Cross then appeared and said she can beat both of them. Flair said she’d beat Cross in 2 minutes if she didn’t already have a match, and Cross isn’t worth her time. Ripley knocked Flair for always talking down to people. Flair told Ripley to beat Cross then. Ripley accepted the challenge from Cross and Flair to end the segment.
We go back to the ring as RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley makes her way out for this non-title match. We see the timer on the big screen and the time to beat is 2 minutes. Ripley poses on the apron as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and we get the “Eva-Lution” return vignette for Eva Marie that premiered last week. Eva is coming soon to RAW. We go back to the ring and Nikki Cross is staring Ripley down. We get a formal ring introduction with Mike Rome explaining the rules. The bell rings and Cross charges but Ripley shoves her down by her face. Ripley points at the clock and taunts Cross.
Cross goes for a takedown but Ripley knees her to the mat, then taunts her some more over the timer. Cross charges and leaps but Ripley catches her. Cross slides out and rocks Ripley with a big forearm. Ripley is upset now. She grabs Cross but Cross hits a Jawbreaker. Cross goes to the top and hits a crossbody but Ripley kicks out at 2.
Ripley has less than 1 minute to win now.Cross attacks in the corner but has her Bulldog blocked. Ripley comes right back with a big dropkick. Ripley manhandles Cross in the corner now, then hits her with shoulder thrusts. Ripley beats Cross down in the corner again with less than 10 seconds to go. Ripley argues with the referee and goes back to stomping away on Cross. The timer expires and Cross wins.
– After the match, Cross heads to the floor and starts celebrating as her music hits. Ripley looks on and seethes from the ring. Cross runs around the ring celebrating but the music interrupts and out comes Charlotte Flair. Flair poses on the ramp as pyro goes off and Ripley rolls her eyes in the ring. Fans boo and Cross taunts her. Flair points and laughs over what just happened. We go to commercial with Flair pointing at Ripley and laughing at her.
Winner: Nikki Cross
Rhea Ripley rolls up and says she couldn’t care less about that match and she wants a new challenger because Flair is yesterday’s news. Charlotte says she’s gonna beat Asuka and win the title, and Rhea says she’s gonna watch her match because the Queen might fall.
Rhea enters the Thunderdome to catch a view ringside before we cut to commerical break.
Rhea is seen sitting ringside once we return back from commerical, smiling and enjoying the match.To the floor, putting Asuka face-first into the announce desk, jawing with Rhea Ripley, throwing Asuka back inside, catch the kick, figure four blocked, she boots Ripley off the apron, spinning toehold, reversed. Asuka win’s by pinfall with a small package as Charlotte is shocked, while Rhea is smiling holding her title up calling Charlotte a loser over and over again.
Circling, Flair bails to the floor, Asuka gives chase, Ripley does a pincer, Charlotte slides back inside and cuts her down with a lariat! Asuka with an Uraken, Rhea with a nearfall and then they get into a shoving match and kick the Queen to the mat! Whip across, Asuka nails Flair with a hip attack through the ropes, victory roll on Ripley for one, sunset flip roll-through, looking for an armbar takedown but Rhea rolls through!
Kick to the corner, hip attack, Asuka to the floor and Charlotte hits a fallaway slam! Back up on the apron, cut Rhea off on a dive, trading punches, back inside, Ripley off the ropes, shoulder block goes nowhere, jawing, another shoulder block, a third try and Falir cuts her off with a knee lift! Fallaway slam, putting boots to her in the corner, Asuka comes back in but Rhea cuts her off with an enzuigiri in the turnbuckles!
Flair takes Ripley out at the knees with a lariat, heads back inside with Asuka and chokes her in the turnbuckles. Rear chinlock over the middle rope, stomp to the ear, only a one-count! The Empress fired up with palm strikes, she gets a cross armbar locked on but Flair is able to post over her and get into the ropes! Asuka goes right back to it but Rhea breaks it up with a stomp!
Asuka floats over a suplex from Charlotte, waistlock broken with an elbow into chops, Ripley cuts her down with short-arm lariats into a ripcord heel kick! Dropkick to Asuka, the champ fired up, cravate knee lifts, roll through, basement dropkick! Bridging northern lights suplex… ASUKA BREAKS IT UP! Alarm Clock gets an upkick gets a buzzsaw and Rhea is down!
Backfist, German suplex, another one, hip attack for Ripley, roundhouse kick for Charlotte, chest kicks for both of ‘em once they’re kneeling! Sliding knee on the apron for Rhea, Charlotte knocks her down in turn, headed up top… FLAIR WITH THE MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR! Putting Asuka back inside, Flair ends up jockeying for position in the turnbuckles with Ripley.
Asuka gets under them both and then climbs up… DOUBLE SUPERPLEX ON CHARLOTTE! All three women down and kneeling, trading desperate strikes, Flair fights out of another double suplex and chop blocks both women, double Natural Selection, double pin… NOT ENOUGH! The Queen goes for a moonsault, nobody home, Asuka with the Codebreaker, Flair rolls away, the Empress counters Riptide into the Asuka Lock but Rhea fights out!
German suplex denied with elbows, Asuka pulls Ripley into a boot from Charlotte! Asuka Lock, Flair reverses, figure four denied, roundhouse kick, Asuka Lock attempt, Rhea pulls her away, reverse roundhouse, low-bridge Charlotte ot the apron but she nails Asuka with a big boot! Ripley is right on her, pumphandle… and hits with Riptide on Asuka to retain the WWE Raw Women’s Championship.
Post-match, Charlotte points at Rhea, calling her shot for the next title shot, one supposes.
Rhea Ripley wins by pinfall
Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley insists that a lot has changed since last year, and she is more than ready for Charlotte Flair and Asuka at WrestleMania Backlash. Catch WWE action on Peacock, WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more.
Sonya Deville is backstage when Asuka and Rhea Ripley walk in. Sonya says they’ve been at each other’s throats for weeks and she’s been given an idea for tonight. Rhea and Asuka can settle their differences tonight in singles action. Rhea asks if this was Charlotte’s idea and Deville won’t say it was or wasn’t. Asuka says she already competed tonight but she’ll do it again because she’s ready for Rhea.
They lock-up and Ripley forces Asuka into the corner and shoves her face. Asuka swings for a backfist but Rhea avoids it, then Asuka beats on her until Ripley tosses her across the ring by the hair. Rhea ducks a kick and blocks a drop toe hold and stomps Asuka. Asuka hits a rolling armbar but Ripley grabs the ropes with her feet. Ripley rolls outside and Asuka chases her but Rhea turns it around and kicks her through the ropes. Riple gets Asuka back inside and out comes Charlotte, distracting the Champion so Asuka can hit a spinning backfist.
Charlotte has joined the commentary team and Ripley has Asuka in a body scissors. Rhea hits a dropkick and shoulders Asuka in the corner a few times. Ripley kicks the back and hits some short-arm clotheslines. Asuka rolls outsie and Ripley goes after but Asuka kicks her and hits a sliding knee from the apron. Charlotte taunts Asuka but Ripley grabs Asuka and headbutts her. Rhea goes back inside to hit a northern lights suplex for a two-count.
Ripley wants the Riptide but Asuka counters with a Codebreaker. Ripley rolls outside and Charlotte gets in her face as well, only for Asuke to jump off the announce desk with a hip attack to Rhea. Asuka gets the Champion back inside and lands a missile dropkick for two. Asuka looks for another hip attack but Ripley catches her and hits the Riptide for the win.