For much of 2024, Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan have been at each other’s throats, feuding over the love of Dominik Mysterio and over the Women’s World Championship on Monday Night RAW. Whilst long-term feuds have become a highlight of the Triple H creative era of WWE, this is an instance of it really not working. Ever since Liv Morgan attacked Ripley on the post-WrestleMania episode of RAW, this storyline has been ongoing. Fast-forward many months later, and the storyline is still playing out, but it is safe to say that it has now overstayed its welcome and desperately needs to end.

The Storyline Was At Its Peak When Rhea Ripley Was Injured

WWE Was Far More Creative When Rhea Ripley Was Off-Screen

• Due to Rhea Ripley’s injury, WWE had to pivot.
• Liv Morgan brilliantly developed her heel character when Ripley was out.
• Liv Morgan took Dominik Mysterio from Rhea Ripley.

Dominik Mysterio’s conflict and eventual alignment with Liv Morgan was something that was well done, but the brunt of this storytelling was told in the period of time when Rhea Ripley was off WWE programming due to being injured. After WrestleMania 40, Liv Morgan attacked Ripley, legitimately injuring her and forcing her into vacating the Women’s World Championship. This added a lot of heat to the storyline, and it was something that allowed Morgan to develop her heel work. She had something to boast about, especially when she won the title, adding so much depth to her character instead of what was likely the original plan of Ripley being champion and Morgan winning the gold off her.

Morgan began targeting Dominik Mysterio, leading to very good character performances from both. Ripley’s absence built anticipation for her eventual return, with a lot of interest in what her reaction would be to the ongoing flirting and potential affair going down between Morgan and Mysterio. The moment Ripley returned, the feud actually began going downhill. WWE being forced to pivot and change plans led to them having to think up creative ways to continue the story in Ripley’s absence, but when she returned, things became very simple and bland when it came to the storytelling on a week-to-week basis. It should be a sign that something isn’t working when the best part of this whole storyline came when Morgan and Ripley were not directly interacting.

Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan Don’t Have In-Ring Chemistry

Morgan & Ripley Haven’t Had A Good Match In Their Rivalry

• Their SummerSlam match for the Women’s World Championship disappointed aside from the finish.
• Ripley vs. Morgan at Bad Blood was a complete mess.
• WWE needs to stop putting Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan together.

When battling over many months, it often means that wrestlers should really have a baseline level of chemistry to warrant such a lengthy storyline and rivalry, especially one which features a series of matches. The likes of Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, John Cena vs. CM Punk, and Randy Orton vs. Christian were examples of brilliant chemistry being shown over a match series. Unfortunately, Ripley and Morgan don’t have magic in-ring chemistry, and they have yet to have a memorable match. Their first battle came at SummerSlam, and it simply felt as though there was something wrong with the pace of the bout, with the technical work not being all that great. It was fine, but it failed to do anything to be more than plain average. The match was all about the finish, with Mysterio turning against Ripley and finally joining up with Morgan. For a first match, this served its purpose.

Next up came a mixed tag team match featuring Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest taking on Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio. This had a much better pace, but the best parts of this match was when it was centered around Ripley and Mysterio, and not Ripley and Morgan. Additionally, the Judgment Day was made to look like a joke, as they failed to succeed despite a ridiculous amount of interference. Then came the Shark Cage match at Bad Blood, with most of the focus being on Mysterio in the cage. Ripley and Morgan once again failed to show any real chemistry, having a basic match that felt off the pace. The finish was botched too, with the referee and Raquel Rodriguez mistiming an interference, resulting in the match being thrown out and a very awkward moment. Fans are not excited to see Ripley and Morgan have yet another singles match, even though it is inevitable.

Rhea Ripley’s Babyface Run Is Falling Flat In This Feud

The Repetitive Feud Is Halting Ripley & Morgan’s Momentum

• Ripley needs to define herself away from Morgan and The Judgment Day.
• Rhea Ripley hasn’t developed her character for months.
• WWE is risking Rhea Ripley’s star potential on Raw.

One of the biggest issues with this feud is the repetitive nature of it, and this is an aspect that is really damaging Rhea Ripley’s babyface turn. Fans were ready to cheer for her for a long time, and now offer big reactions when she is on-screen. However, for what feels like weeks and weeks, all she has done is run out to her music, beat down the Judgment Day, and stand tall. There is no storytelling depth being added, no character development for Ripley except the same promos over and over, and before long, fans will get tired of the same formula being rehashed.

WWE has failed to add any sort of creativity into this storyline for the last few months, and it has officially overstayed its welcome on RAW. Ripley has been involved with the Judgment Day for years, and even after leaving the group, she cannot shake them. She really needs to move on with her career if she is to become a bigger star as a babyface. Additionally, Mysterio and Morgan need to get far away from Ripley in order to become WWE’s next big power couple.