Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair’s SD Women’s Championship Match at WrestleMania 39 has been awarded with Wrestling Republic’s Women’s Division Match of the Year Award for 2023.
Rhea Ripley shocked the world when she defeated then SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair to claim the title in an amazing match at night one of WrestleMania 39.
The match, which was an absolute instant-classic from start to finish, received five stars in the Wrestling Republic scale and played an important role in solidifying Ripley’s status as one of the most important stars in the WWE Women’s division.
Becky Lynch and Tiffany Stratton’s title match at NXT No Mercy and Athena vs. Willow Nightingale at ROH Death Before Dishonor were runners up after a vote conducted by Wrestling Republic’s esteemed voting committee.
The Voting Committee’s Reasonings For The Choice
“When Rhea and Flair did not get the Night one main event of Wrestlemania 39, I feel everyone passed them off saying it was not deserved,” said Wrestling Republic’s Podcaster Soul. He continued by pointing out that “they proved me and everyone else wrong as these two put on a stunning spectacle and showed that they could have easily taken that spot and send the crowd home happy. The moments and brutality shown by these two women, made it clear, ‘You won’t give us the main event, well. We are gonna show you we deserved it.’”
Wrestling Republic Owner Ben Allison explained his vote by stating that “I try and put my bias aside for this match as I attended WrestleMania 39, but Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair was my truly favourite women’s match of 2023. Despite a lacklustre storyline going into the match, the two women absolutely tore the house down and put on a match I’ll never forget.”
In addition, Wrestling Republic’s Head of Opinions Anthony Ricciardi praised the match and the face-to-face stats between both womens, stating that “Charlotte and Rhea evened their WM series 1-1 in one of the best matches the entire WM weekend and without question one of the best matches of the year. They delivered a classic in that ring.”
What’s Next For Rhea Ripley & Charlotte Flair?
Ever since defeating Flair at WrestleMania 39, Rhea Ripley remains as the reigning WWE Women’s World Champion and outlasted almost all the competition in the RAW roster, while also having a promo battle with Becky Lynch recently and teasing a potential matchup between the two of them at this year’s WrestleMania 40.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair is currently sidelined from WWE programming due to a serious knee injury suffered by the end of 2023. Since she has recently undergone surgery, Flair will surely be missing this year’s Royal Rumble match and WrestleMania 40, so fans might have to wait some considerable months to see her compete once again.
