Highlights

• Rhea Ripley's journey in WWE has been filled with historic moments and she is proud to be the first Grand Slam champion with multiple championships.
• Despite the championship not being booked strongly, Ripley has had an incredibly strong year and is consistently presented as a strong presence in WWE.
• Ripley's title reign may not have been eventful, but her involvement in main event stories and her natural star power make her a major presence in WWE. However, WWE needs to improve in booking the title and her challengers.

At the WrestleMania 39 Night One press conference (h/t Post Wrestling), Rhea Ripley said, “So just making it here is such an accomplishment, but being the first Grand Slam champion to have those exact championships is so satisfying. I’m so extremely proud of myself and my journey here to the WWE and then my journey here within the WWE to be able to accomplish all those historic moments.” Ripley’s words echo the overwhelmingly positive reaction that fans have had of her run in 2023 thus far. In WWE, Ripley has had perhaps the best year of any current superstar on the WWE roster today. Despite the championship not being booked that strongly, Ripley has booked incredibly strong thus far.

RELATED: 10 Biggest Booking Errors Of Rhea Ripley's WWE Career

Rhea Ripley's Has Had A Great 2023 So Far In WWE

To see how Ripley got to this point now, it is important to look at how her 2023 began. As a member of the dominant Judgment Day, Ripley kicked off the year impressively when she won the women’s Royal Rumble match from the number one position. She is the first woman to have the match from that spot. She then made her intentions known to challenge SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair for the title at WrestleMania 39. Despite a loss at Elimination Chamber where she teamed with Finn Bálor against Edge and Beth Phoenix, this did not stop her momentum on the road to WrestleMania.

At WWE’s biggest show of the year, Ripley and Flair battled it out at Night One of WrestleMania 39. The two went back and forth in a phenomenal bout. Ripley held massive fan support throughout the match. She went on to win, rectifying her loss to Flair at WrestleMania 36. It was a fantastic moment. She was also the only member of The Judgment Day to win a match at the show. She was also awarded the new Women’s World Title that replaced the SmackDown Women’s Title. Ripley has continued to be a vital part of the current WWE product, involved in numerous storylines both on her own and as a member of The Judgment Day.

RELATED: How Dominik Mysterio Is Paying Homage To Eddie Guerrero With His Rhea Ripley Romance

Despite Poor Title Booking, Ripley Is Still Presented Well

The interesting thing about Ripley is the fact that despite the title she holds not being booked well, she is being booked consistently and strongly. Since winning the title, Ripley has not had many challengers for her championship. She fought Zelina Vega at Backlash and has had a couple of matches for the title against Natalya. A feud was being teased between herself and Raquel Rodriguez that was seemingly going to take place at SummerSlam 2023, but that did not end up happening. Despite all of this, however, Ripley continues to be presented as a strong presence in WWE. She breaks an occurrence that happens with many champions in other companies, that being that she is not relying on the title to get her over, but the fact that she was already over prior to the title.

A poor title reign in wrestling can do a lot to hurt someone’s career as much as it can help. For Ripley that is not the case. While her title reign has been relatively uneventful, she is involved in main event stories thanks to being aligned with The Judgment Day. Her story with Dominik Mysterio has captured the attention of fans for months. She has had stare downs with the likes of Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa. In addition, she has had to place peacemakers at times between Damian Priest and Finn Bálor. Ripley also has personality and talent in spades that make her easy for fans to cheer for. She does not need the title, but it adds to the dominant presentation.

While Ripley Is Great, WWE Needs To Book Her Title Better

It has been incredible to see how Ripley has evolved throughout her run in WWE so far. She has constantly displayed the star power that she has always had from her time in NXT UK up until now on the main roster. There is no doubt that she will continue to be a major presence in WWE for years to come. However, WWE will need to do a much better job of building up the title she holds and challengers for it. Ripley is a great competitor and can do a great job in carrying the title, but WWE must also do better in booking the title and who Ripley fights for it. All of this said, Ripley has had one of the best years of any professional wrestler going today. She is incredibly talented, has immense fan support, and is one of the best in the business.