Rhea Ripley WWE Backlash 2026 Opponent

Published: 8 seconds ago by SP3 | Last Updated: 8 seconds ago by SP3

Born in Harlem, New York and now living in the Bronx, Sid Pullar III aka SP3 is a lifelong wrestling fan who has been covering the industry for over nine years as a podcaster and writer. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as WrestleTalk, Sports Illustrated and more.

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At WrestleMania 42 Night Two, Rhea Ripley defeated Jade Cargill to win the WWE Women’s Championship.

While she was a Raw star heading into Mania, Ripley is now part of the Friday Night SmackDown roster as the new champion and will have plenty of talent coming after her gold.

Now “Mami” is back on top, it will be interesting to see who will emerge as the top contender for Ripley at the upcoming WWE Backlash 2026 premium live event.

Here are seven Rhea Ripley potential WWE Backlash 2026 opponents.

7. Jade Cargill

After losing the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42, one would assume Jade Cargill will be eager for a rematch.

Heading into “The Show of Shows,” Cargill formed her own faction alongside Michin and B-Fab.

Wanting to make sure she took down Ripley, it seems like Cargill might want to reclaim her spot at the mountaintop of the SmackDown women’s division.

Cargill regaining the title should be her number one focus and goal, which could lead to a major rematch at WWE Backlash 2026.

6. Jordynne Grace

Ever since arriving on the WWE main roster in January, Jordynne Grace has had her sights set on the WWE Women’s Championship.

Back in February, Grace challenged Jade Cargill for the title after feuding for several weeks, but the former TNA Knockouts World Champion came up short.

Now that a new champion has been crowned, this may open the door for Grace to find herself back into title contention soon.

Grace challenging Rhea Ripley would be a dream match that many fans will salivate over and want to see go down at the WWE Backlash 2026 premium live event.

5. Tiffany Stratton

Back at WWE Elimination Chamber 2026, Rhea Ripley defeated Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez, Asuka, Kiana James and Alexa Bliss to win the Women’s Elimination Chamber to earn her shot at the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 42.

The final moments of that match had Ripley going at it with Stratton for the first time in a singles format.

However, Stratton has never gone one-on-one with Ripley in the past and never got a rematch for the WWE Women’s Championship after losing the gold in November 2025.

Wanting to prove herself to be a fighting champion, Rhea could grant Tiffy her rightful rematch and put on what should be a showstealer at WWE Backlash 2026 on May 9.

4. Giulia

Giulia’s stomp on Rhea Ripley during their February 20 match went viral for its brutal-looking nature

Since arriving on Friday Night SmackDown in 2025, Giulia has made sure she always was in title contention or had gold around her waist.

Despite being on the main roster for only a year, “The Beautiful Madness” is a two-time WWE Women’s United States Champion.

After losing the title to Tiffany Stratton on the April 24 WWE SmackDown After WrestleMania 42, Giulia might want to shoot for a bigger goal moving forward.

With their last match ending in a disqualification on the February 20 SmackDown, Giulia has some unfinished business with Ripley that would make for an intriguing battle over the WWE Women’s Championship at Backlash 2026.

3. Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss and Rhea Ripley teamed together in WarGames at WWE Survivor Series 2025

Over the past year, Alexa Bliss has found herself focused on the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships alongside Charlotte Flair.

Despite winning the tag gold on four occasions, Bliss is also a five-time WWE Women’s Champion as well.

Wanting to prove herself in the singles scene once again, Bliss could become a major obstacle in this reign for Rhea Ripley.

Bliss challenging Ripley for the WWE Women’s Championship at Backlash 2026 would be intriguing to see how well they match up and if the challenger can rediscover what made her one of the most decorated singles champions in the company.

2. Charlotte Flair

Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39

Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair are 1-1 in singles competition at WrestleMania, with Flair winning at WrestleMania 36 and Ripley at WrestleMania 39

When it comes to decorated female stars on the WWE roster, no one is quite on the level of Charlotte Flair.

“The Queen” holds the record with 14 reigns as WWE Women’s Champion and has been synonymous with gold throughout her career.

Alongside Alexa Bliss, Flair has become a stalwart of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship picture over the past year.

After her recent tense moment backstage with the champion, Charlotte could be gearing up to challenge Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women’s Championship in a WrestleMania 39 rematch at the WWE Backlash 2026 event.

1. Jacy Jayne

On the April 24 WWE SmackDown After WrestleMania 42, Fatal Influence made their long awaited main roster debut.

Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid not only sent a message to the tag team scene by attacking Paige, Brie Bella, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, but they also laid out WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley.

Prior to their three-on-one assault on “Mami,” Jayne proved that she could go toe-to-toe with Ripley in singles competition.

Wanting to launch herself into the stratosphere immediately on Friday Night SmackDown, Jayne could be the challenger for Ripley at WWE Backlash 2026 that might just cut her reign short before it even gets started.