26-year-old NXT star to replace Raquel Rodriguez in feud against Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam? Analyzing the possibility

With WWE SummerSlam just on the horizon, Rhea Ripley's direction still looks uncertain as her rumored opponent Raquel Rodriguez is currently injured. The Eradicator has been making regular appearances in NXT and hovering over Lyra Valkyria lately. As a result, it led to various speculations that Ripley could potentially face the 26-year-old star at the August 5 spectacle.

However, that might not be the case, as WWE likely has no plans to put Valkyria in a match against Ripley at SummerSlam despite them facing each other on the latest episode of NXT. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the company has already penned the chapter between Raquel Rodriguez and Rhea Ripley at the Biggest Party of the Summer.

It is conspicuous, as the two superstars have been at loggerheads for a long time now. WWE has been teasing a potential feud between the two in episodes of Monday Night RAW in backstage segments. Therefore, putting Lyra Valkyria against the Women's World Champion at the moment wouldn't make any sense from a storyline perspective either.

Although WWE hasn't announced the match between Rhea Ripley and Rodriguez yet, the latter is expected to return on the go-home edition of RAW before SummerSlam. She is likely to return and lay out a challenge to the champion.

Even if Triple H and co. have no plans to feature Rodriguez against Ripley, Lyra Valkyria's match against the Women's World Champion looks far-fetched. She has yet to thrive and rise to prominence. Besides, the SummerSlam card is already stacked with some spectacular matches, and WWE will prefer to keep it short.

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Rhea Ripley's championship run so far

The Judgment Day is currently dominating WWE, and Rhea Ripley is one of the foremost reasons behind the faction's success. Her pairing with Dominik Mysterio never fails to captivate the fans and has stood out from the rest of the group. It has emerged as one of the main attractions in WWE lately.

There's no doubt that The Eradicator has been making waves in the company and bolstering the women's division with her sheer presence. However, when it comes to her championship run, the consensus seems to be that it has been disappointing.

Rhea Ripley has only defended her Women's World Championship twice at premium live events, against Zelina Vega and Natalya at Backlash and Night of Champions, respectively. Although The Eradicator has been dominating the entire roster, she has not been a fighting champion, which disappoints many fans.

WWE has mostly put Rhea Ripley in The Judgment Day's storyline instead of focusing on the championship that she currently holds. Many have questioned this move from the company. It remains to be seen whether things will change with her title reign starting SummerSlam.