Absent WWE Superstar is surprising addition to PWI top ten

An absent WWE Superstar has ranked third in PWI's Women's 250 list.

The top ten of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Women's 250 list has been revealed, and Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley ranks at number one. Stardom's Giulia came in at number two, and an absent superstar was ranked number three.

Bianca Belair has not competed in a match on WWE television since August. She captured the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam, but her title reign was over minutes later. Damage CTRL's Iyo Sky cashed in her MITB contract to become champion. The EST teamed up with Charlotte Flair to defeat Sky and Bayley on the August 18th episode of SmackDown before going on hiatus from the company.

Despite Belair being on hiatus since August, she still ranked third in PWI's Women's 250 list. The former champion is rumored to be making her return as soon as this Friday's episode of SmackDown. You can check out the rest of PWI's top ten in the post below.

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WWE star Rhea Ripley claims Bianca Belair is the second-best female wrestler ever

Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley recently praised Bianca Belair and claimed that the SmackDown star is the second-best female superstar in history.

The Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley is in the middle of a dominant reign as Women's World Champion. The Eradicator is scheduled to defend the title in a Fatal 5-Way match at Crown Jewel next month in Saudi Arabia.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Rhea Ripley was asked to name the best women's wrestler ever. The Women's World Champion tried to select herself before naming Belair as a superstar almost as good as her:

"Oh, I had my title ready [to hold up] and everything," Ripley replied, realizing she could not name herself. "It's a tough one because Rhea Ripley's just the top, because Mami's always on top, so who would be below Mami? I'm gonna go with Bianca Belair." [0:39 – 0:56]

You can check out the full video below:

Bianca Belair will likely want a shot at the WWE Women's Championship when she makes her return to the company. It will be interesting to see if Belair appears during the scheduled title match between Iyo Sky and Charlotte Flair this Friday night on SmackDown.

Have you missed Bianca Belair on WWE television? Would you like to see her have a rivalry with Iyo Sky? Let us know in the comments section below.