In the interest of full disclosure (and not wanting to get rinsed for not including them), Lash Legend, Blake Monroe, Jacy Jayne, and Alexa Bliss were all considered for this. All would be great options to take the title onward at any given point, and with Money in the Bank on the horizon, all would stand a great chance of holding the title through that pathway also. Specifically Monroe and Legend, who would both be great Miss Money in the Banks.

However, Giulia stands out as the star who should take the division forward purely from a workrate and realizable potential standpoint. Legitimately one of, and at her very best likely the, best workers in the world, female or male, she’s not only someone who can hang with Ripley on a bell-to-bell basis, but someone who could push Ripley into working even better. 

The catch is that many will try and dismiss her as an option for what she has been able to show since coming to the main roster. Even with two United States Championships, there are layers upon layers she has yet to showcase. But that’s why this writer feels she should be the one put in that position.

Ripley has just drawn to a close a star-making stretch with IYO SKY, who was already one of the best wrestlers on the planet and had been for some time. She had the title win through Money in the Bank to her name, but it was her win over Ripley for the Women’s World Championship that got the ball rolling on her latest run atop the card. It would be nice to see Giulia get that recognition, breathing that rare air with Ripley, and giving her a platform to pay it forward.

When Sheamus arrived to WWE in 2009, it wasn’t long before the World Heavyweight Championship was wrapped around his waist, as he captured the gold in just six months when he defeated John Cena at Tables, Ladder & Chairs. That said, many often forget that “The Celtic Warrior” was primarily a member of the ECW roster for most of the year until he was assigned to “WWE Raw” that October, and during an interview with “OTB Football,” Sheamus reflected on how quickly he was given the opportunity to be world champion.

“Yeah, it happened really fast. One minute I was on ECW, the next minute I was switched to ‘Raw.’ Literally happened over night,” he said. “I was going to debut on ‘Raw,’ it was literally like the day before I was told you’re switching over to ‘Raw’ and that was it. And then, I’m in the Breakthrough Battle Royal … it came up to me and Kofi [Kingston], who was also brand new. And then all of a sudden, wrestling John Cena TLC. My second pay-per-view ever. I’m wrestling the World Heavyweight Champion. And then a couple hours later, I’m holding the title, my foot on John’s chest and the title on my left arm … It just blew everyone away. Shocked the world. It was phenomenal.“

Since November, Sheamus has been out of action due to a shoulder injury, but he stated that he’s determined to continue his quest of becoming a Grand Slam Champion when he returns, as the Intercontinental Title has eluded him his entire career.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “OTB Football” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

As a 14-time world champion, Charlotte Flair knows what it takes to be at the top of the WWE. Looking at the company’s current landscape, she believes other talents have the potential to do so as well.

During an interview with ESPN’s “First Take,” Flair revealed which rising star WWE fans should keep a close eye on. “For me, definitely Kiana James,” she said. “I met her at the [WWE] PC when I was out with my knee injury and she had a knee injury as well. She was only on the roster for about a month before she got injured. She’s been back now for almost a year. I think she has the potential to be a main event player. She’s aggressive, she’s athletic, she’s powerful. She makes me want to step my game up. She’s very young and she’s soaking up every moment that she can. So look out for Kiana James. She’s going to be a big player.”

Since returning to WWE television in July 2025, Kiana James has primarily served as the formal representative of Women’s United States Champion Giulia. On occasion, she and Giulia have worked together in the ring as well, even earning a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match on “WWE SmackDown” in February.

Individually, James’ biggest main roster moment came inside the 2026 Women’s Elimination Chamber, when she pinned multi-time world champion Alexa Bliss for an elimination. On-screen, Bliss is Flair’s present-day tag team partner, with whom she previously enjoyed one reign as Women’s Tag Team Champions.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “First Take” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Hulk Hogan’s TNA run ended with one of the most panned segments in the promotion’s history, and years later, many still blame him and his peers at the time for ruining the momentum the promotion had built up to that point. During an episode of his “My World” podcast, TNA founder Jeff Jarrett recalled working with Hogan and the creative differences they had. Jarrett recalled a conversation he had with Bob Carter about signing Hogan at the time.

“I said, ‘At the end of the day, I really think Hulk can really move the needle if he is the ambassador. His brand is the biggest brand name in the history of modern professional wrestling,'” Jarrett recalled. “‘Well, what about wrestling?’ I said: ‘At the very most? Twice a year, four times a year.'” 

Jarrett recalled arguing that Hogan’s value wasn’t in wrestling any more, and that having him on board simply as an ambassador would help TNA far more in the long run.

“I said, ‘Bob, it’s being an ambassador of the product, and if he’s willing to promote the brand,'” Jarrett said. He admitted that both Hogan and Dixie Carter had “a different vision” for how Hogan would be utilized in TNA, but as far as he was concerned, Hogan was never brought into the promotion to be an active wrestler, especially because he was dealing with back pain.

“He wanted to — as opposed to being an ambassador — he wanted to run the show, and thought … he could run creative and hire talent, and that’s when I was just like, ‘Okay; here we go,'” Jarrett said.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “My World with Jeff Jarrett” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Hulk Hogan’s latest Netflix docuseries has made the late WWE Hall of Famer the talk of the industry again, as it delves deeper into his life and pro wrestling career. During an episode of his “83 Weeks” podcast, Eric Bischoff commented on how the series made him feel and how vulnerable Hogan came off in it.

“What I saw was Hulk being more vulnerable and more Terry Bollea on camera than I had ever seen him in the 35 years I’ve known him,” Bischoff expressed. “I’ve seen Terry Bollea, I’ve hung out with Terry Bollea, I’ve had dinner with Terry Bollea, the guy that you saw in the documentary that was so vulnerable — he was not holding anything back.”

Bischoff added that Hogan was never a “classically trained actor,” and as such, the emotions he shows in the Netflix documentary were legitimate.

“I saw more of Terry Bollea on camera than I’ve ever seen,” Bischoff said. He further pointed out that he was close to both Terry Bollea and the Hulk Hogan character and could always “reconcile the differences between the two.”

“It’s one of the reasons why I probably have been as much of a supporter of his, professionally and personally, as I have been,” he said. “I’ve seen the side that most people don’t get a chance to see.”

Bischoff further stated that he was really happy that fans finally got to see more of Terry Bollea in the documentary, and that he personally sent a text to an executive involved in the project saying that he was happy about the work they did.

“You saw a part of Hulk Hogan that you’ve never seen before, unless you were really, really close to him,” Bischoff said.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “83 Weeks” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.