The original plans for Backlash 2023’s SmackDown Women’s Championship bout were very different.
At the event, Zelina Vega battled Rhea Ripley in The Eradicator’s first defense of the SmackDown Women’s Championship. It was a home field advantage for Vega however, and it was a fun matchup on the show in Puerto Rico.
Fightful Select reports now that the original plans for the matchup called for Vega to be squashed by Ripley, despite the special hometown environment for Vega.
Zelina has been featured in two significant matches of late, both competing in Money in the Bank and a world title match in Puerto Rico, however, that might not have been in the cards originally. Fightful Select has learned that an original plan for Zelina’s world title match in Puerto Rico was for Rhea Ripley to squash her, despite the geographical location and Zelina’s connection. However, a change was made, and Zelina ended up having a very well received match and getting a special reaction from the audience in Puerto Rico. We also heard that Rhea Ripley was happy to accommodate the booking change. Much of the push that followed was a result of Zelina’s performance and the reception she got from the crowd. WWE sources close to the situation indicated the change ended up being a very good one for all involved, as it helped WWE, Zelina, and it gave Ripley a memorable title defense.
Fightful Select
Ripley is now the Women’s World Champion, and continues to dominate the women’s wrestling roster on Monday Night RAW.
Follow Corey at @CoreyBrennanBS on Twitter
If you enjoy Bodyslam’s content, you can help donate to the site here. You can also visit our PWTees store and buy Bodyslam official merchandise here.
You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.ⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘⓘ
