WWE’s Potential Top 5 In Five Years: Women’s Division

Roxanne Perez has quickly made waves in the WWE, establishing herself as a fixture on the main roster in the process. Before joining Monday Night Raw, the 23-year-old Perez had an excellent three-year NXT run. During that time, she was the inaugural Iron Survivor Challenge winner, NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, two-time NXT Women’s Champion, and the 2025 NXT Superstar of the Year.

Perez only continued shining after joining Raw, qualifying for the Money in the Bank tournament by defeating Becky Lynch and Natalya in triple threat action. Perez would later officially join the Judgement Day after weeks of being taken under Finn Balor’s wing, and replace the injured Liv Morgan as a women’s tag champ alongside Raquel Rodriguez. Perez and Rodriguez had one successful title defense at Evolution before losing them at SummerSlam, but the WWE clearly has greater things ahead for The Prodigy.

2. Stephanie Vaquer

Speaking of superstars who quickly made their impact, Stephanie Vaquer spent less than a year on NXT before making the jump to Monday nights. The Dark Angel spent many years on the independent circuit and a month in AEW before signing with the WWE in June of 2024. She quickly rose in the ranks on NXT after making her television debut that October, and five months later, she held both the Women’s North American and NXT Women’s Championships simultaneously (the first in history to do so).

Vaquer joined the Raw roster in May of 2025 and later qualified for the aforementioned MITB ladder match by defeating Morgan and Ivy Nile. At Evolution, Vaquer became the number one contender for the Women’s World Championship after winning the 20-woman battle royal. That opportunity has been put on hold, however, following Naomi’s vacating of the title due to her pregnancy.

Raw General Manager Adam Pearce assured Vaquer that she is still the number one contender, but he needed time to figure things out. The news was disappointing, but the Dark Angel understood based on the circumstances.

I wish I could have been at Clash in Paris, but I understand. I will be ready.

There should be answers regarding the state of the Women’s World Championship this coming Monday on Raw. The Vaquer era could arrive sooner than expected.

3. Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill is considered one of the hottest free agent signings in WWE history, and she has not disappointed since her arrival. The skills of the former Division One basketball standout have transferred well in the ring, as her strength and explosiveness are always on display. After a dominant three-year run in AEW, Cargill made the move to WWE and immediately made her presence felt.

Cargill’s quick rise in the WWE women’s division did not sit well with everyone. The two-time Women’s Tag Team Champion (both with Bianca Belair) was the victim of a backstage attack last November. She returned in March at Elimination Chamber and attacked her former ally, Naomi, who revealed herself as the attacker the following Friday on SmackDown.

Cargill quickly re-established herself and went on to win the 2025 Queen of the Ring tournament. After various battles, she also settled the feud with Naomi in a No Holds Barred match at Evolution. Cargill is now focused on her rematch for the WWE Women’s Championship (after losing her first attempt at SummerSlam) with the next person on this list.

4. Tiffany Stratton

By the year 2030, the clocks may still be running on Tiffy Time. WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton has accomplished so much already, and at the age of 26, she’s only just begun. Stratton joined the SmackDown roster in February of last year and immediately made a huge impact. After winning her debut match versus Michin, Stratton qualified for the women’s Elimination Chamber match, defeating Zelina Vega. Although Stratton was not victorious in the chamber match, she had an excellent showing, with her gymnastics background on full display.

After aligning herself with Nia Jax, Stratton went on to win the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. There were several teases along the way, but Stratton would finally cash in on the first episode of SmackDown in 2025. Stratton helped Jax defeat Naomi to retain the WWE Women’s Championship, but seized her opportunity following the match, turning on Jax (who probably deserved it) in the process.

It has been Tiffy Time since that moment, with successful title defenses against Jax, Charlotte Flair, Trish Stratus, and Cargill along the way. Stratton is the present and probably the future of the WWE women’s division.

5. Rhea Ripley

Mami could very well still be on top in 2030. Although Rhea Ripley is now one of the veterans of the division, she is still only 28 years old. Ripley has arguably already put together a Hall-of-Fame resume in her eight-year WWE career, considering what she has accomplished.

• Women’s World Champion (twice)
• Raw Women’s Champion
• Women’s Tag Team Champion
• NXT Women’s Champion
• NXT UK Women’s Champion
• 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner
• Slammy Award Winner (three times)

The ride for Ripley has definitely had its bumps along the way, however. In April of 2024, she suffered a right arm injury after being attacked backstage by Morgan, forcing her to vacate the Women’s World Championship and miss three months of action. That August, she failed to regain the title at SummerSlam against Liv and was betrayed by Dominik Mysterio. Ripley, along with Damien Priest, would officially be kicked out of the Judgement Day on the following episode of Raw.

Eventually, Ripley would get her revenge on Morgan, defeating her at the Netflix premiere of Raw this past January, and regaining the Women’s World Championship. Ripley would lose the title two months later in a singles match against Iyo Sky, after allowing Bianca Belair’s support for Sky to distract her.

Ripley has remained in the title picture since, but has failed to recapture it under various circumstances. These include a double disqualification, Naomi cashing in the MITB contract in the middle of her rematch versus Sky at Evolution, and not being able to figure out Iyo. As one of, if not the top star in the division, however, Ripley should see plenty of opportunities in the years to come.

End Of My WWE Rant

Exciting things lie ahead for the WWE Women’s division. Although I believe these five women will be the leaders in the new decade, there will be many up-and-coming competitors vying for those top spots. Current NXT talent, such as Lash Legend, Lola Vice, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca, and Jacy Jayne, could potentially make waves on the main roster in the same fashion as the women on this list did. It should be an exciting ride into the future.