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.
Category: WWE
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.
WINNER: NIKKI CROSS
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.
WINNER: RHEA RIPLEY
The RAW Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley, comes out and says she’s put up with a lot from Charlotte but this is crap. There’s a reason why Flair wasn’t at WrestleMania, and there’s a reason why she wasn’t in the match to start with, nobody likes her. Charlotte pretends to cry. Rhea says she knows she can beat Asuka again but a Triple Threat is unfair. She should have known this was all part of a bigger plan.
Asuka comes down to the ring and says this is all bull crap. She says Charlotte whines like a baby and mocks her. Asuka says it doesn’t matter because she can beat Flair and Rhea. She’s ready to become the RAW Women’s Champion. Charlotte says this is why nobody compares to her, they get a curveball and they both lose their minds. She says she will be walking out of Backlash as the new Champion. Rhea gets in Sonya’s face and shouts at her, then Charlotte attacks her. Rhea rolls outside and Asuka knocks Charlotte from the ring so she can dance and pose.
Rhea Ripley is interviewed backstage and says she happily watched Charlotte get fined. Tonight she’s focused on her tag team match, so Charlotte can keep playing rugby with the referees.
Baszler and Asuka start off and Shayna takes the arm before tagging Ripley, who tosses Asuka across the ring. Asuka attacks Ripley’s gut and hits a pop-up knee. Naomi tags in and hits a splash to Rhea, then tags Lana for a double-team roll and kick. Lana hits a wheelbarrow roll-up but then Rhea clocks her with a right hand and lands a suplex for two.
Ripley applies a body scissors to Lana and forearms her in the back. Dana and Mandy Rose walk down the ramp with a bucket of water. Baszler walks over and they throw the water over her, then Nia runs over and trips on the water. Nia flails in the water and can’t get up so Reggie drags her over the floor while everyone else watches and laughs.
Back live and Baszler is in control of Lana and snaps her arm. Lana hits a jawbreaker and a tilt-a-whirl Russian leg sweep to Shayna. Tag made to Asuka and she knocks Rhea and Nia off the apron before dropping Baszler with a Codebreaker. Asuka kicks the face over and over but gets caught with a knee to the mouth. Baszler tags Jax for a powerslam and elbow drop.
Jax hits a splash in the corner and a Samoan drop, but misses a second splash and Asuka fires off with punches. Naomi tags in and hits a springboard crossbody. Naomi knocks Baszler from the apron, then unloads on Nia and hits a springboard enziguiri. Reginald distracts Naomi and Jax drops her, then tags Ripley. The Women’s Champion lifts and slams Naomi down face-first, then Asuka breaks the pin attempt.
Rhea tosses Asuka out but Naomi tags Lana. Ripley catches Naomi attempting a hurricanrana and hits the Riptide. Lana attacks Ripley but gets caught. Rhea wants a spinning sidewalk slam but Lana rolls her up with a crucifix for two. Jax drops Naomi and Asuka at ringside. Ripley hits the Riptide on Lana, then Nia tags in for a leg drop and gets the win.
WINNERS: Rhea Ripley, Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
And she will show why she is the Queen. Asuka comes to the ring but before she can speak she is interrupted Rhea Ripley.
Ripley stays on the stage and Charlotte says if they want she can beat them both. Rhea can sit at ringside and take notes while she beats Asuka. Rhea says she’ll take that offer but she’s confident Asuka will beat her. Charlotte talks to Asuka in a condescending tone and says that’s so cute, she was the one ended her streak. Asuka keeps going to talk but Charlotte interrupts her until Asuka shouts “…tonight I will beat you bitch!”
Rhea Ripley is at ringside for this one. They lock-up and struggle for control, then separate and Asuka shoves Charlotte. They go back and forth with reversals and Charlotte attempts a backwards handstand but Asuka kicks her. Flair rolls to the apron and Asuka wants a hip attack but Charlotte avoids it and kicks her. Both women fight on the apron until they hit a double neckbreaker and both fall to the floor. Ripley stands up and stares at them both.
Back live and Charlotte is in control of Asuka and landing some big chops. Asuka is whipped to the corner and kicks Charlotte back, then hits a missile dropkick from the middle rope. Asuka lands a dropkick, then a pop-up knee to the face. Asuka with a hip attack in the corner, then a German suplex and a running kick for a near-fall. Charlotte slaps Asuka but gets caught with a flying armbar.
Charlotte rolls over and elbows herself free but misses a big boot. Charlotte catches Asuka with a knee but runs into a sloppy Codebreaker. They trade shots until Flair catches Asuka with a huge spear for a near-fall. Charlotte looks for Figure Four but Asuka kicks her off. Charlotte moves to the apron and catches a kick from Asuka to apply a hanging kneebar.
Flair wastes some time taunting Ripley, then runs back inside and at Asuka, who jumps over her and applies the Asuka Lock! Flair rolls to the ropes to cause the break. Charlotte drops Asuka and applies the Figure Four, then bridges to the Figure Eight to stare at Ripley at ringside. Ripley pulls Charlotte’s arms behind the referee’s back to break the hold. Charlotte grabs Rhea’s head and tries to drag her into the ring but Asuka kicks Charlotte and rolls her up to win.
After the match Asuka leaves and Ripley smiles at Flair from ringside.