PARKS’S TAKE: Why did Iyo Sky beat Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title, why did she have such a meltdown, and what could it mean for WrestleMania?

It’s rare for a major title to change hands this close to WrestleMania, after Elimination Chamber. Yet, that’s exactly what happened Monday night on Raw.

With Royal Rumble winner Bianca Belair taking in the action from ringside, Iyo Sky defeated Rhea Ripley to become Women’s World Champion, ending Ripley’s latest reign after just 56 days. It’s the kind of booking that gives the impression Ripley was needing time off for whatever reason. To this point, no reports of anything like that have surfaced.

This sets up Sky vs. Belair for WrestleMania, a match that is sure to be spectacular. Of course, Ripley vs. Belair would’ve been tremendous as well.

The way the finish unfolded leaves open the possibility of a Triple Threat: Ripley vs. Sky vs. Belair. That’s a lot less appetizing than whatever version of a singles match we could get, but it does put three deserving talents on center stage for a potential WrestleMania moment. It would somewhat water down Belair’s Rumble win, where she was presumed to earn a one-on-one match with the champion.

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The question then is, “Why now?” If a Triple Threat was in the offing, why not just go in with Ripley as champion and have Sky and Belair as the challengers? It would’ve perhaps been a bit more difficult to write Sky into the match; difficult, but possible. The answer may lie in the post-match interview with a distraught Ripley that was being shared on social media after her loss. It’s a side of Ripley we’ve not often seen before, and it unlocks more of her character for the audience to latch onto. Her current character is popular, no doubt, though there don’t seem to be many more mountains left for her to climb in that iteration of Rhea Ripley.

Iyo Sky’s title win was a surprise for sure and threw a wrench into the expected WrestleMania card. Whether she finds a way into the Women’s World Title match or not, Ripley will definitely have something important to do on the show. Now, we wait for that story to unfold over the next few weeks.