#282: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley, WWE WrestleMania 39, Night 1 (4/1/2023).
This is for Charlotte’s Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Rhea won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble Match, after starting the match at #1, and lasting until the very end. This earned her a shot at Charlotte Flair, and the Smackdown Women’s Championship. This was also about revenge for Rhea, who was looking to wipe away the bad memory of her first loss at WrestleMania, back in 2020 to Charlotte when she dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to her.
The bell sounds, and we are under way. Rhea circles Charlotte, who is just walking around the Ring with a smile. They lock up, and Rhea takes control of the back. Charlotte grabs the arm, and transitions to a side headlock. Rhea escapes and lands a shoulder tackle.
Charlotte rebounds with one of her own, and then clotheslines Rhea to the floor. She returns to the Ring, and shoves Charlotte. The champion responds with a chop. Rhea bulldozes Charlotte into the corner, and Charlotte boots her in the face.
Charlotte with a big crossbody from the top rope. Rhea with an elbow to the ear, and then a reverse electric chair, which sends Charlotte face first into the top turnbuckle.
Rhea connects with several stomps, and then drops all her body weight on the back. She sends Charlotte face first into the middle turnbuckle. Rhea lands a hard clubbing blow to the back.
She grabs the hair and throws Charlotte's face to the mat. Body scissors applied, as Rhea tries to grind down on the Queen. Charlotte turns it around and gets in Rhea's guard. She strikes her way free, and gets a nearfall off of a rollup.
Rhea with some stiff forearms to the lower back. Charlotte blocks one of those with an elbow, but walks into a release German Suplex, which gets Rhea a 2 count. Rhea grabs the wrist and hits a short arm clothesline, and then another.
Charlotte with a boot to the face, and a spinning back elbow. She bounces Rhea off the top turnbuckle, and then connects with a couple of clotheslines. Big chop connects, and another! Charlotte places Rhea's leg on the middle rope, and drops all her weight on it.
Charlotte sends Rhea into the turnbuckle, and then goes to the top rope. Another crossbody, but Rhea rolls through and catches her! Charlotte elbows her way free, and then counters Riptide into a spike DDT for a 2 count!
Charlotte looks for the Figure Four, and Rhea kicks her away a few times. Inside Cradle gets a close 2 count. They each land a big boot to the face of the other, and both women are down!
Rhea strikes first, and then Charlotte. They throw nice stiff elbows at the other. Rhea plants Charlotte's face into her knee. Charlotte with a nice Exploder Suplex. Kip up by Charlotte, and she poses for the crowd.
She walks on top of Rhea, and goes to the top rope. Rhea scurries up with her, and gets elbowed down. Rhea is back up, and nails a German Suplex that turns Charlotte inside out! She covers, and Charlotte is able to kick out.
Charlotte escapes a back suplex attempt, chop blocks the knee, and then connects with the Natural Selection. It's only good enough for a 2 count. They go to the outside, and Rhea sidesteps a spear attempt, and sends Charlotte into the Steel steps.
In the Ring, Rhea faceplants Charlotte for a 2 count. She attempts Riptide, and Charlotte counters with a German Suplex. Charlotte connects with another, and eats an elbow for her trouble. Rhea switches to the back, and nearly spikes Charlotte on top of her with a German!
Looks like Charlotte managed to land face first off of that. Rhea tries for another, and Charlotte counters with a big kick to the face. Rhea gets the shoulder up. Charlotte tries for the Figure Four, and Rhea punches her way out of it.
Rhea rolls to the apron, and Charlotte hits a running boot to the face to knock her to the floor. She goes to the top rope, and hits a diving moonsault onto Rhea! Back in the Ring, Charlotte tries for the Figure Four again, and again Rhea counters. She avoids the Spear, and finally hits the Riptide! She covers, and Charlotte kicks out!
Charlotte catches her in a small package for a brief nearfall. Rhea rolls into the Standing Cloverleaf! Charlotte climbs up the ropes and forces Rhea into the corner. Charlotte hits the Spear out of nowhere! The cover, and Rhea kicks out again!
They talk trash and throw elbows on their knees, before returning to their feet. Big kick to the head by Rhea, and one by Charlotte. The champion locks in the Figure Four, and Rhea quickly grabs the ropes.
Charlotte sends Rhea into the ring post, and grabs her from the apron. On the middle rope, she chops Rhea, who then grabs her and pulls her head into the top of the post. She's knocked out!
Rhea repositions herself and lands a top rope Riptide to Charlotte! She covers, and that's enough for the win! Rhea is the new Smackdown Women's Champion!
This was awesome. This had an aura around it that’s rare for a women’s match in WWE. I can compare it to the legendary Utami Hayashishita/Syuri match from STARDOM in 2021, in that this wasn’t showcased as a women’s match, but as a match between two great competitors. It was given plenty of time to flow, and both women took huge advantage of that. It started out slow, but gradually increased in excellence and drama.
The sequences towards the end of the match was really good. Rhea’s German Suplex that nearly killed Charlotte, and the moonsault to the outside by Charlotte were highlights for me. The crowd bit on everything in the closing moments, and Rhea winning with a top rope Riptide was great in showing just how much she had to do to put Charlotte down. I also think both women sold their reactions well, too, as they made you see just how difficult this was for them.
All around great match between two great athletes. I’d put this one neck and neck with their WrestleMania 36 match, honestly.