WWE Hell in a Cell: Rhea Ripley Retains Raw Women’s Championship Thanks to Disqualification

Rhea Ripley walked out of Hell in a Cell still the Raw Women’s Champion, but the match between herself and Charlotte Flair didn’t end the way fans expected. Flair kicked things off with a major advantage, grabbing the title belt as the referee raised it to mark the start of the match, tossed it into Ripley’s hands then booted her out of the ring. From there she repeatedly frustrated and outsmarted the champion, battering her in and out of the ring while loudly shouting at her. Ripley eventually managed to build some momentum but had to battle through a damaged left leg.

The champ eventually nailed her Riptide finisher, but Flair was able to drape her left leg over the rope to break the count. Flair then locked in a Figure Eight, but Ripley was able to drag herself and Flair out of the ring. The champ eventually used the covering from the commentary desk to batter Flair, forcing the referee to call for a disqualification.

Flair talked about developing her new heel persona with Bleacher Report earlier this week. She explained, “Yes, I’m the 13-time champion, but really, in the last couple of years, I have not had a successful title run. Yes, I’ve been in the title picture non-stop, but besides the tag titles, I haven’t been the champion, but people just associate me [with that]. So, [I’m thinking], ‘Play into that, go with that,’ but I have been chasing. At the same time, like I said on Raw Talk, do I need a title to be Charlotte Flair? Absolutely not. Am I going to go into this any different? Absolutely not.”

“I always want to be a heel,” she added. “When I came back after WrestleMania, there was no questioning what I am. There’s no questioning what side [I’m on]. All that frustration, all that confusion, and laying it all out there. I really feel that has [been] portrayed throughout my promos. You can only do so much in the ring, and having that ability to have the mic has really helped with somewhat of a character wrinkle for me since April.”

Check out the updated results from Hell in a Cell below! WWE returns to pay-per-view on July 18 with the Money in the Bank event in Forth Worth, Texas.

• Natalya def. Mandy Rose (Kickoff)
• SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bianca Belair def. Bayley (Hell in a Cell Match)
• Seth Rollins def. Cesaro
• Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler
• Sami Zayn def. Kevin Owens
• Raw Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley def. Charlotte Flair via DQ
• WWE Championship: Bobby Lashley