It is hard to think of many other superstars in WWE who have achieved such respect and popularity as the WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley. Even before she won the title, Ripley was on a tear in WWE. As a member of The Judgment Day, she has asserted herself at the top of WWE. She has beat any and all who dare to step in her way and take away her WWE Women’s World Title. However, at WrestleMania 40, she will encounter her biggest challenge to date. At WWE’s biggest show of the year, she will defend her title against “The Man”, Becky Lynch.

Becky Lynch And Rhea Ripley Have Fought In A Singles Match Once

Rhea Ripley And Becky Lynch Had A Match In NXT

Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch faced each other in 2019 on NXT.
The NXT match ended in a no contest.
Ripley and Lynch never had another singles match until WrestleMania 40.

Surprisingly enough, there is only one singles match to have ever taken place between “The Man” and “The Eradicator” in history. It was a one-off match on an episode of NXT in 2019. On the 500th episode, the two faced each other. However, it ended in a no contest due to interference from Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke. There was never a rematch between the two, until now. At WrestleMania 40, a major mistake will be made right as there will be a winner decided between two of WWE’s biggest superstars of all time. In addition, both competitors have evolved greatly in the almost five years since their last encounter. Let’s take a look at where they have gone since then.

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Becky Lynch Has Established Herself As A Modern WWE Legend

Becky Lynch Became “The Man” In WWE

For Becky Lynch, she remained dominant as WWE RAW Women’s Champion. She held the title from WrestleMania 35 all the way up until the RAW after Money in the Bank 2020. Lynch relinquished the title to Asuka and announced her pregnancy and was gone from WWE television for 15 months. Once she returned, she established herself as a heel when she defeated Bianca Belair in only seconds to become WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion. A little later, she swapped with Charlotte Flair to become RAW Women’s Champion. During that time, she was also known as “Big Time Becks.” Lynch’s reign ended when she lost the title to Belair at WrestleMania 38.

Later that year, Lynch turned face and reverted to being “The Man.” Since then, she has been involved in a number of different, more midcard feuds. She took a break from the main world title picture. Lynch had a notable feud with Trish Stratus. She even returned to NXT, where she became NXT Women’s Champion and put on classic matches with Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria. Lynch also competed in WarGames at Survivor Series 2023. It’s been a busy couple of years for her, but she finally won the opportunity to challenge for a world title when she won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match.

Rhea Ripley Has Been One Of WWE’s Biggest Breakout Stars

Rhea Ripley Has Become The Leader Of Judgment Day

Ripley was the inaugural WWE Women’s World Champion.
She is a former NXT Women’s Champion.
Ripley won the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2023.

As for Rhea Ripley, her ascent to the top has been phenomenal. She left NXT in 2021 and made a splash on the main roster. There, she won the RAW Women’s Title and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles. However, it still felt like she needed something to take her to the next level. That was The Judgment Day. She became a member of the group at WrestleMania Backlash 2022, aligning with Edge and Damian Priest. However, the group has grown immensely since. They kicked out Edge and introduced Finn Bálor to the group. In addition, she also formed a fan favorite relationship with Dominik Mysterio.

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Ripley won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match and went on to defeat Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 to become SmackDown Women’s Champion. She was later awarded the WWE Women’s World Title. Nobody has even come close to taking away that championship from Ripley, who has been extremely dominant as the de facto leader of The Judgment Day. She defeated Nia Jax, Zelina Vega, Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler, and Ivy to keep that title in Judgment Day.

The Two Future Hall Of Famers Will Battle At WrestleMania 40

It Will Be “The Eradicator” Versus “The Man” For The WWE Women’s World Championship

At WrestleMania 40, two different competitors will be seen at the showcase of the immortals than on that episode of NXT. Lynch has become a seasoned veteran of WWE and is a modern-day legend in her own right. Ripley has ascended from a rookie in WWE to becoming one of the company’s biggest faces. WrestleMania 40 will see those two competitors square off in what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest matches of the night. Can Lynch end Ripley’s reign, or will Ripley continue her dominance?