At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley overcame 29 other women to secure her place at WrestleMania 39.
The Judgment Day star had her work cut out for her as she entered the Women’s Rumble at Number 1. On top of that, she had already suffered a Spear from Beth Phoenix earlier in the night during a brawl between Judgment Day and Edge.
In a dominant and record-breaking performance, Ripley eliminated seven other stars from the Women’s Rumble including the likes of Michelle McCool, Raquel Rodriguez, and the returning Chelsea Green.
In the end, it came down to Ripley, Asuka, and Liv Morgan. As the three fought on the apron, Ripley ducked the mist from Asuka, with Morgan being temporarily blinded by the blue substance. This allowed Ripley to eliminate Asuka with a kick as she re-entered the ring before catching Morgan with a Head Scissors to flip her out of the ring to the floor.
On Raw the following night, Ripley announced who she had chosen to face at WrestleMania. After teasing the idea of challenging Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, she instead turned her attention to Charlotte Flair.
She looked back to challenging Flair three years ago only to be defeated and then watched as Flair always seemed to be at the top of her game and in the title picture.
The star then sent a message to Flair, telling her to enjoy everyone bowing down to The Queen because now everyone will be bowing down to her. Ripley ended with a simple message. “Charlotte Flair, I choose you.”
Ric Flair Responds To Rhea Ripley’s choice
Following the show, Charlotte’s father, the legendary Ric Flair, sent his own message to Ripley on social media.
“To Be The Woman, You Have To Beat THE WOMAN! Wooooo!”
To Be The Woman, You Have To Beat THE WOMAN! Wooooo! pic.twitter.com/zFDP6gKjyT
— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) January 31, 2023
Elsewhere on Raw, the winner of the Men’s Rumble, Cody Rhodes, also announced his own plans for WrestleMania, telling Roman Reigns that after the event, he can call himself the Tribal Chief and the Head of the Table, but he won’t be called Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.