{"id":220167,"date":"2026-08-01T12:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T17:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=220167"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:28:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T17:28:48","slug":"wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-women-babyface-edition-ripley-rules-ruca-wipes-out-iyos-adorable-tiffy-is-tedious-gray-is-relatable-the-twin-magic-is-gone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/01\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-women-babyface-edition-ripley-rules-ruca-wipes-out-iyos-adorable-tiffy-is-tedious-gray-is-relatable-the-twin-magic-is-gone\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS &#8211; WOMEN BABYFACE EDITION: Ripley Rules, Ruca Wipes Out, Iyo\u2019s Adorable, Tiffy is Tedious, Gray is Relatable, &#038; The (Twin) Magic is Gone"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1608776114\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Anne Hathaway\u2019s impressive performance as Penelope in &#8220;The Odyssey&#8221; reminds us that heroines have played a key role in stories and literature since antiquity.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, heroic tales have centered on men. The rise of feminism has gradually changed how our culture thinks about women, and recent decades have seen increased prominence of female heroes in pop culture\u2014from Katniss Everdeen to Furiosa, Captain Marvel, and the K-Pop Demon Hunters.<\/p>\n<p>Professional wrestling has reflected this transformation, most notably with the WWE Women\u2019s Revolution, sparked in 2015 when Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks joined the main roster. This led to an increased focus on women\u2019s matches, including more frequent and longer bouts, more prominent angles, and milestones such as the first women\u2019s WrestleMania main event in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, women\u2019s wrestling and related angles occupy roughly a quarter of WWE programming. Last week\u2019s SmackDown featured three women\u2019s matches and only a single men\u2019s match. With the rise of women\u2019s wrestling, there has been a greater focus on women babyfaces.<\/p>\n<p>Wrestling heroines share a great deal in common with wrestling heroes. However, they also highlight different traits. Male babyfaces are typically portrayed as dominant competitors, leaders, or the toughest and most skilled. Female babyfaces are more likely to emphasize authenticity, overcoming underestimation, and proving they belong.<\/p>\n<p>This week, we examine which women wrestlers embody heroism\u2014and which are tough to get behind.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Babyface Rising Star: Rhea Ripley<\/h3>\n<p>Powerful, distinct, unapologetically confident, and immensely charismatic, Ripley is an ideal babyface. Named after Ellen Ripley\u2014Sigourney Weaver\u2019s classic heroine in Aliens\u2014\u201cThe Nightmare\u201d embodies the character\u2019s courage and inner strength.<\/p>\n<p>Ripley\u2019s goth look is instantly recognizable and sets her apart from the rest of the roster. Confident and brazen, Ripley complements her unassuming best friend Iyo Sky.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3979319404\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Ripley has a magnetic personality and is a born performer. Along with her size, strength, and in-ring ability, her charisma makes Ripley a star.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMami\u201d has the potential to be WWE\u2019s biggest star. Booking has all too frequently undermined her in the past, but her presentation and performances rarely have.<\/p>\n<p>Like Cody Rhodes or Oba Femi, Rhea Ripley is the kind of babyface to build a division around.<\/p>\n<p>Now, if she can just stay healthy\u2026<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Runner-up: Iyo Sky<\/h3>\n<p>Everybody loves Iyo.<\/p>\n<p>With unmatched ring skills, extraordinary athleticism, an infectious joy of performance, and humble charisma, there\u2019s a lot to love.<\/p>\n<p>Sky consistently follows the rules, enthusiastically embraces the fans, and stands up for what\u2019s right. She is unerringly loyal to friends and is slow to take offense or seek revenge. Sky comes off as remarkably humble, rarely bragging about her ability even as Michael Cole and others repeatedly refer to her as \u201cthe best women\u2019s wrestler on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iyo\u2019s biggest challenge in connecting with fans has been her limited ability to express herself in English. This may, in part, protect her\u2014keeping her from over-talking or saying the wrong thing.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-442250963\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Iyo is a true babyface in every sense of the word. With full cheeks, smooth skin, and youthful features, she looks a decade younger than her 36 years.<\/p>\n<p>In just a few days, Sky wrestles Liv Morgan for the WWE Women\u2019s World Championship. U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis\u2014just like fans everywhere\u2014will be solidly behind her.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Second Runner-up: Kendal Gray<\/h3>\n<p>The NXT Women\u2019s Champion is inspiring yet relatable. A lifelong amateur wrestler, she broke barriers by competing against boys and winning several championships in high school and college.<\/p>\n<p>She shows remarkable determination, with a work ethic that rivals that of Seth Rollins, and has taken to professional wrestling like a fish to water. Reminiscent of fellow Greco-Roman wrestler Kurt Angle, Gray picked up ring skills perhaps faster than anyone in NXT history.<\/p>\n<p>Gray consistently shows respect and integrity in her interactions with others. She courageously takes on all challenges, shows resilience in bouncing back from defeat, and demonstrates integrity by consistently following the rules.<\/p>\n<p>Gray has turned her weakness on the mic into a positive by openly admitting to being unsure and anxious speaking in front of crowds. Her vulnerability makes her relatable.<\/p>\n<p>Along with her fantastic ring skills, Gray\u2019s babyface character is easy to admire and root for, making her a promising prospect for success on the main roster.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Babyface Fading Star: Sol Ruca<\/h3>\n<p>When a surfer falls off their board while attempting to catch a wave, it\u2019s referred to as a wipeout.<\/p>\n<p>This surfer\u2019s main roster run has been a total wipeout.<\/p>\n<p>Following her NXT debut in 2022, Ruca quickly found success with performances combining her dynamic look with remarkable athleticism and a jaw-dropping finisher in the Sol Snatcher.<\/p>\n<p>Her weaknesses on the mic were obscured by her partnership with Zaria, with whom she shared natural chemistry, and in-ring promos were kept to a minimum. A dominant NXT women\u2019s champion for 189 days who had a track record of great matches, Ruca seemed a very strong prospect when she was elevated to the main roster in April.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s been all downhill from there.<\/p>\n<p>Ruca has struggled with a bad case of the \u201cyips\u201d ever since debuting on Raw. She has botched many of her big moves, particularly mistiming the Sol Snatcher, turning her biggest asset into a liability. It\u2019s unclear why her performance has suffered so much. The most convincing explanation is that Ruca, unaccustomed to working in front of such large main roster crowds, has been affected by anxiety she cannot yet control.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, Ruca was featured on a weekly basis and was elevated to a win over Becky Lynch for the Intercontinental Title by May. She continued to underperform in the ring, culminating in a disaster this Monday against Raquel Rodriguez. Ruca seemed out of place time and again, ruining high spot after high spot\u2014sliding off Rodriguez during a DDT attempt and bloodying Rodriguez\u2019s nose with a misplaced moonsault.<\/p>\n<p>What resulted was arguably Raw\u2019s worst match in years. The only bright side is that WWE creative apparently pulled the plug on her title reign. Rodriguez won the match, capturing her first WWE singles gold after eight failed attempts.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not clear how Ruca can get back on track\u2014or if she will have the opportunity. Some have suggested more reps in non-televised dark matches or house shows before re-debuting; others have suggested a return to NXT.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, her main roster debut will stand as a cautionary tale of what happens when a wrestler is featured before they\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>First Runner-Up: Tiffany Stratton<\/h3>\n<p>Much has been written about Tiffany Stratton\u2019s failure as a babyface character. Wooden performances aside, her character is consistently arrogant, emotionally inaccessible, and impossible to relate to. She projects entitlement, never failing to remind viewers what time it is.<\/p>\n<p>Her cruel, personal jabs at Charlotte Flair\u2019s personal life in the buildup to last year\u2019s WrestleMania left a bitter taste in many fans\u2019 mouths. Declaring her desire to leave wrestling and pursue a career in acting didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from her beauty and athleticism, there\u2019s just not much to like.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s no wonder that her status has declined from division leader to mid-carder.<\/p>\n<p>Stratton\u2019s off-putting character traits could be assets if she were realigned as a heel.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s hoping Blake Monroe\u2019s message to Stratton on last week\u2019s SmackDown leads to an alliance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVapid blonde mean girl\u201d is the only role Stratton has succeeded at. Serving as a second to Monroe\u2014who does the same act far better\u2014could make Stratton relevant again.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Second Runner-Up (tie): The Bella Twins<\/h2>\n<p>See Tiffany Stratton, above.<\/p>\n<p>The Bella Twins are equally miscast as babyfaces and are undermining Paige\u2019s comeback by association.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (7\/31) - WWE Smackdown w\/Keller &amp; Machado\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DhQXDaGnW0E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2332350264\"><div id=\"pwtor-3318782612\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Anne Hathaway\u2019s impressive performance as Penelope in &#8220;The Odyssey&#8221; reminds us that heroines have played a key role in stories and literature since antiquity. Traditionally, heroic tales have centered on men. The rise of feminism <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/01\/wwe-rising-stars-fading-stars-women-babyface-edition-ripley-rules-ruca-wipes-out-iyos-adorable-tiffy-is-tedious-gray-is-relatable-the-twin-magic-is-gone\/\" title=\"WWE RISING STARS &#038; FADING STARS &#8211; WOMEN BABYFACE EDITION: Ripley Rules, Ruca Wipes Out, Iyo\u2019s Adorable, Tiffy is Tedious, Gray is Relatable, &#038; The (Twin) Magic is Gone\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":220168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4309,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-01-at-12.24.33-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":220169,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220167\/revisions\/220169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}