WWE Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will defend her title at WrestleMania 39 against Asuka, but this is not the match WWE had planned for the EST.
Belair’s reign as Raw Women’s Champion began at WrestleMania 38 last April, and the popular Superstar’s reign is the second longest in history (behind Becky Lynch.)
Asuka, a former Raw Women’s Champion in her own right, earned the title match by winning the Women’s Elimination Chamber match earlier this month.
Change of Plans
While Asuka and Belair are more than capable of an exceptional match this April, this isn’t what WWE had planned.
Initial plans for WrestleMania 39 saw Belair defending her title against Charlotte Flair, according to a report from Fightful Select.
Those plans changed when Ronda Rousey informed WWE of plans to take January off, and thus Flair was brought back from her hiatus earlier than planned.
Flair’s return saw the Queen capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship from Rousey on the final SmackDown of 2022, and the Belair match nixed.
Charlotte Flair will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39 against 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley.
Rousey at WrestleMania
With Rousey out of the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship pictures, there has been speculation about what she will do at WrestleMania 39.
It has been reported that WWE’s plan is for Rousey and Shayna Baszler to challenge for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships this April.
A match between the MMA fighters and Damage CTRL is interesting, given that the trio of Bayley, Dakota Kai, and IYO SKY are expected to face Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus and Lita at WrestleMania 39.
Lita and Lynch will challenge Kai and SKY for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on tonight’s episode of Raw.
