Over the last few weeks WWE has introduced a new star into their ranks — former STARDOM and New Japan Pro Wrestling Champion Giulia. The decorated Japanese wrestler was rumored to be joining WWE back in April when she appeared at the NXT Premium Live Event during WrestleMania 40 weekend. She promised to finish her obligations in Japan before making the trek to the United States which she made good on, competing in a gauntlet match against the entire Marigold locker room as her final sendoff. Upon her arrival to the states she came face-to-face with NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, a match that people have been looking forward to since news of her signing took place.
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Giulia faced off against a beloved main roster star in her debut and picked up the win, showcasing her fighting spirit and dominance early into her WWE career. Naturally, her performance has gotten people talking about future opponents they’d love to see her go up against, and we’ve compiled five of our own of rising stars, veterans, and top stars. Check out our five picks below.
Natalya
Natalya often doesn’t get the respect she deserves for helping elevate a whole generation of women’s wrestlers and now she’s doing so with the women in NXT. Something that Nattie has always been great at is selling for her opponents, and it’s likely she’d do a great job helping Giulia become an even bigger star than she is. Given Giulia’s fighting style and Nattie’s technical abilities, this one seems like a no brainer. While she’s been off television for awhile working on her own projects, she officially returned on last week’s WWE Raw to go up against Pure Fusion Collective. Now that she’s back, if she were to challenge Giulia to prove that she’s still got it she will show everyone just why she’s called The BOAT.
Rhea Ripley
When looking at the WWE women’s roster as a whole it’s impossible not to believe that Giulia and Ripley would have an absolute banger (after banger, after banger…) of a match. Whether it’s in NXT or the main roster, it seems inevitable that these two strong stars will meet in the ring. It allows Ripley some fresh competition as well, because during her Women’s World Championship run she had faced just about everyone on the roster. If she wins it back, it could be a great way to introduce the main roster crowds to Giulia.
IYO SKY
Any time two Joshi stars face off it is almost guaranteed to be a hit. Such would be the case between the former STARDOM champion and IYO SKY who wouldn’t hold anything back from each other in the ring. In fact, it’s a match that both women have subtlety hinted at over the last few months. “I don’t want people to compare IYO and me just based on the Ryogoku match,” Giulia told Ameba in July. “The next time I see IYO SKY I think it will be on the opposite side of the ring.”
Bianca Belair
You can’t have a dream match list and not include the EST in one way or another. Belair remains at the top of WWE as one of the core babyfaces in the women’s division but it seems like a lot of fans have forgotten how good she is. Her NXT run in particular was some of her best work, and a hard-hitting match with Giulia would not only test her strengths but remind everyone that she’s the EST for a reason. Plus, one of her signature moves is literally called “Bianca” so it has to happen…right?
Sol Ruca
Sol is an up-and-coming star in NXT and a match between these two could certainly create an interesting dynamic. Sol would be able to create more depth in her move set and character work testing herself against a megastar like Giulia. At just 25 years old with a few years of wrestling under her belt Sol is quickly climbing up the ranks of the NXT women’s division and Giulia could be exactly what she needs to enter that next phase of her career that will, hopefully, lead to a title in the future.
Honorable Mention: Stephanie Vaquer
Vaquer and Giulia wrestled each other earlier this year in STARDOM where Vaquer captured the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship. In fairness, they deserve a do-over. While the action in the ring was to be expected from two hard-hitting fast-paced wrestlers, the finish left a lot to be desired and they deserve a proper feud where they can really spread their wings. While Vaquer hasn’t appeared on live television just yet, you have to imagine she’s not too far behind Giulia and this could be a great NXT PLE match.
