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A major match pitting Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley against a popular "WWE SmackDown" star could be in the works for WrestleMania 41. According to Fightful Select, Ripley taking on current WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair at "The Showcase of the Immortals" is being discussed within WWE after both have expressed interest in facing each other in interviews.
Despite their eagerness to face each other, Belair and Ripley have largely been kept apart over the years. Fightful noted that Ripley was set to challenge Belair at Money in the Bank in 2022 for the Raw Women's Championship, but was pulled from the match due to an injury, and Carmella took her place. Belair and Ripley worked alongside each other on the same WarGames team at Survivor Series last year, when the Women's World Champion was locked in a feud with then-champion Liv Morgan. Ripley regained her title from Morgan after defeating her on the "WWE Raw" premiere on Netflix. Belair currently holds the Women's Tag Team Championships alongside Naomi, after former partner Jade Cargill was written off television with a reported injury.
Fightful reiterated that plans often change within WWE, and rumblings of a Ripley vs. Belair match are based on discussions and tentative plans within the company. As of this writing, Belair has yet to declare for the 2025 Women's Royal Rumble, and there is no word on how WWE would book Ripley and Belair to come face-to-face to set up the match.

