Rhea Ripley is getting another shot at the WWE Women’s Championship at WWE Evolution. The all-women’s Premium Live Event is returning for the first time since 2018 in July.
IYO SKY — the current titleholder who won it ahead of WrestleMania 41 — handpicked Ripley as her challenger. Ripley took part in the monumental night in a dark match with Dakota Kai for the NXT UK Women’s Championship. SKY, meanwhile, was defeated byToni Storm in the Mae Young Classic Tournament finals.
Despite being the champion of Monday Night Raw, SKY hasn’t defended the championship much. After winning, Ripley got her rematch, which ended in a double DQ thanks to interference from Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. At WrestleMania 41, she defeated Bianca Belair and Ripley in a triple threat, proving she wasn’t just a placeholder for someone else.
IYO SKY LAYS OUT WWE EVOLUTION CHALLENGE
Ahead of WWE Raw, it was revealed by Adam Pearce that Ripley would be opening the show. She called out the entire women’s locker room, looking for a challenge for Evolution. SKY didn’t waste a beat coming to the ring and laying out the challenge, which Ripley quickly accepted. She also reminded SKY that she had asked for it.
Despite the hype for Evolution’s return, WWE hasn’t made a ton of waves in promoting it. On a recent episode of WWE Raw, Morgan wrestled a returning Kairi Sane and ended up injuring herself. With her on the shelf for the foreseeable future, plans for Evolution were reportedly scrapped. The Bella Twins–or at the very least Nikki Bella–were expected to have a big role in the show. It’s unclear if Nikki or her sister Brie will appear.
In addition, WWE announced that Roxanne Perez is filling in for Morgan as Tag Team Champion while she recovers. The championships will be defended against one team from each brand: Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. Additionally, a Battle Royal for a future title shot opportunity is up for grabs. The winner will get a title shot at WWE Clash in Paris on August 31st.
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