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Takedown Discussions: What's Next For The WWE Women's World Championship?

Zack Heydorn and Rick Ucchino return from a brief hiatus with an all new Takedown Discussions as WWE has a big question on their hands. What do they do with the Women's World Championship after Naomi relinquished it on Monday Night Raw?
Rick Ucchino|
Naomi
Naomi | WWE

WWE has a major pivot to make and not much time at all to choose a new direction for the Women's World Championship.

Naomi announced her pregnancy and relinquished the title this past Monday Night on Raw, just days before it was supposed to be defended at Clash in Paris. Our Zack Heydorn and Rick Ucchino are back with a new episode of Takedown Discussions as they analyze where WWE might go next with the belt.

Whether the company chooses to run with an established main eventer like Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Becky Lynch, Asuka or Bayley, or a first-time World Champion like Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Kairi Sane or Stephanie Vaquer, there is no shortage of great options available to step in for Naomi.

The issue comes down to timing for most of these women. After dominating the title picture for much of 2025, Ripley and SKY appear to have moved on to a program with the Kabuki Warriors. Bayley is in the early stages of a significant character shift it seems and Becky Lynch is holding things down as the Women's Intercontinental Champion.

So where to turn? Is it time for a first-time champion to take the reigns on Monday Night Raw? Zack and Rick dive into all the options on this week's show.

New episodes of Takedown Discussions will now be available every Saturday afternoon at 12pm ET. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and to turn those notifications on so you don't miss out on any of our exclusive interviews or talk show content.

What is fair to Stephanie Vaquer?

Stephanie Vaquer
Stephanie Vaquer | WWE

The Dark Angel earned the right to challenge for the Women's World Championship at Clash in Paris by winning the Women's Battle Royal back at WWE Evolution.

Would the best course of action be to simply have her compete for the title against a new challenger at this month's Premium Live Event? Or should WWE postpone her title opportunity in order to properly establish a new champion for her to face?

If the creative team does choose the latter option, how do they go about keeping Stephanie Vaquer in the spotlight until a new champion is crowned? There's a great deal for WWE to consider when plotting their next move. Hopefully a firm plan is in place by Monday's episode of Raw.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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