Rhea Ripley's Headed on a Dark Path, but Will She Do So Alone?

OK, so I decided to wait until after this year's Post-Mania Raw to post this, mainly because I wanted to see if what I figured would happen would kick off. It certainly did. So Sunday's second night of WrestleMania saw Edge defeated AJ Styles and gain an ally in his dark quest...in the form of Damian Priest. This alliance is actually a few months in the making; back in January, Edge was shown in a backstage segment with Priest--this was back when he was in his feud with The Miz, which happened to involve their wives. So what we saw on Sunday was a rare bit of continuity, as well as fate--Edge and Priest's heel turns took place on the same episode of Raw.

That's not all. That same January episode of Raw saw Beth Phoenix backstage with Rhea Ripley, which leads me to believe that Rhea will become part of Edge's evil faction. This year's Post-Mania Raw featured the early stages of that prediction coming to fruition. After failing to capture the Women's Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania, Rhea and partner Liv Morgan competed against the new champions, Sasha Banks and Naomi, in a non-title match, but the ambitious duo would come up short. After the match, we would see Rhea walk out on Liv out of frustration, but all seemed to be well, as Rhea told Liv that she managed to talk Adam Pearce into giving them an actual match for the tag titles on the next Raw, with Liv hugging Rhea.

It hasn't been that long since Rhea acted as a villainess; it was just over a year ago that Rhea turned heel on then-Raw Women's Champion Asuka to build up their title contest at WrestleMania 37, which Rhea won. She would be back to being a babyface very quickly, and would feud with Charlotte Flair over the title, as well as form her tag team championship partnership with Nikki A.S.H., which ended with Nikki's heel turn in January 2022. Rhea's look, which she has displayed for four years now, would fit well in Edge's faction, as there is definitely a dark vibe in regards to Edge's role and gimmick.

Rhea's heel turn could come as soon as the next episode of Raw, either during or after the tag title match. However, she may not be the only woman going to the dark side.

To put a twist on one of my favorite sayings, behind every evil man is a deliciously evil woman. We've seen it on TV, film, and yes, in wrestling as well. When Edge became villainous with his attack on AJ Styles, the very first thing that entered my mind was his better half, fellow WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix. Beth has portrayed herself as being concerned about her husband's actions as of late, but it's only a matter of time before The Glamazon becomes the evil empress of Edge's faction. In fact, that could also happen as soon as the following week. We could see Beth approach Rhea again, but this time, Beth would act as a villainess attempting to manipulate Rhea into joining Edge and Priest, and she could even order Rhea to attack Liv either during or after their tag team title contest.

It's been a decade since we've seen Beth Phoenix's evil side in WWE; she last acted as a heel during her final run between August 2011 and October 2012. Beth would be golden as the leading lady in Edge's villainous faction; in fact, I think the look she sported during January of 2022 (from Day 1 up to the Royal Rumble) would fit the whole "occult" look of the faction. Rhea turning heel seems to be inevitable, but time will tell if Beth regains her inner villainess and stands alongside Edge in his sinister quest.

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