Rhea Ripley Ignites Wild WWE RAW Brawl With IYO SKY & The Kabuki Warriors—Is a WrestleMania Showdown Next?

Rhea Ripley opened the final RAW of 2025 by proving she can balance ferocity with heart: the Women’s World Champion brought her bull terrier Barry to Orlando’s Kia Center and proudly told fans he’d been a “10/10 good boy at work”. Moments later, the mood flipped when Ripley and ally IYO SKY ambushed WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane, laying the ground-work for a high-stakes rematch on the January 5 crossover edition of RAW themed to “Stranger Things.” WWE has confirmed that Ripley & SKY will challenge the Kabuki Warriors for the titles during the special three-hour broadcast, a slot designed to launch 2026 with record viewership. The timing is deliberate. Company insiders say Ripley’s schedule for the first quarter of 2026 “already dwarfs last year,” with creative discussing a potential move to SmackDown and even a new faction built around her dominant persona. A brand switch would refresh her rivalries and position “Mami” for marquee WrestleMania 42 storylines. Key momentum markers • Match of the Year candidate: Ripley vs. SKY vs. Bianca Belair stole WrestleMania 41 and still trends across WWE social platforms. • December push: teaming with Damian Priest on SmackDown kept Judgment Day atop faction power rankings. • January 5: Women’s Tag Team Championship bout on RAW crossover special. • Late-January: expected Royal Rumble appearance, where a win could let Ripley pick her own WrestleMania path. Beyond the ring, Ripley’s social-media engagement is exploding. Photos of Barry backstage routinely top a million impressions, and her workout clips drive twice the average comment rate for WWE talent. That built-in buzz amplifies every on-screen moment, giving WWE extra incentive to feature her across both brands as TV rights negotiations heat up. What to watch next 1. Will Ripley and IYO SKY capture the Tag belts on January 5, making Ripley a double-champion to start 2026? 2. If a brand shift happens, which SmackDown rival—Bayley, Jade Cargill, or an emerging NXT call-up—will step up first? 3. Could a new Ripley-led faction debut before the Royal Rumble, mirroring past powerhouse groups like Evolution or The Shield? Rhea Ripley’s mix of viral personality, proven pay-per-view draw and crossover appeal places her at the epicenter of WWE’s 2026 strategy. With fans, executives and even her four-legged sidekick along for the ride, the “Nightmare” era is only getting louder—and it officially begins when the bell rings on January 5.