NXT TakeOver: Portland - 5 Potential finishes to Rhea Ripley vs Bianca Belair (NXT Women's Championship)

#2 The E.S.T. becomes the NXT Champion!

Does WWE pull the ultimate swerve?

The recent rivalry between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley has made The Nightmare's opponent this Sunday a bit of an afterthought.

Fans are already looking ahead to WrestleMania 36 and a match between Flair and Ripley hasn't even been made official yet. Much to her credit, Belair has been playing this up perfectly in the build up to TakeOver Portland.

Looking at it from outside the world of Kayfabe, the deck is stacked against Belair walking away with the Championship. The build up to Ripley vs. Charlotte at 'Mania has already begun and as I mentioned before, Rhea is on a meteoric rise. Would the company really stop her momentum cold after just two months with the Title? Well, stranger things have happened.

Everything the company has been doing in recent weeks suggests that Rhea Ripley will have a significant role at WrestleMania 36. So if Belair were to shock the world Sunday, it would likely set up a rematch in Tampa Bay or another Championship Triple Threat Match involving Charlotte Flair.

Another Triple Threat at WrestleMania may not be the best idea for fans who are still upset that it wasn't a one-on-one match between Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey last year.

However, this year, from a storyline standpoint,Charlotte earned her way in by winning the Royal Rumble. Looking at it from the outside, it's all about who earns their way onto the card. If the company feels Belair belongs there, she'll be there. But that doesn't necessarily mean she has to win the Championship at TakeOver.