Also of note this year is the absence from the top spots of the wrestlers once known as the Four Horsewomen of WWE. For the first time since 2013 (before the Horsewomen existed) none of them appeared in the top ten — in fact, none of them even made the top 20, with Charlotte Flair coming in at #21, Becky Lynch at #29, and Bayley at #41. Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks, was not ranked, as she did not meet PWI’s qualifications for activity during the grading period.

As for Ripley, this year’s qualification period represented the pinnacle of her career so far, as the champion has become the figurehead of the Judgment Day faction and enjoyed a popular relationship with “NXT” North American Champion Dominik Mysterio. After winning the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble, Ripley defeated Flair on Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 for the “SmackDown Women’s Championship.” Not long after winning the title, it was redubbed the WWE Women’s World Championship and given a new design, making Ripley the inaugural champion for the new title. Ripley also celebrated her engagement to AEW’s Buddy Matthews, who is a member of a different spooky faction, the House of Black.

Ripley will have the deck stacked against her next month, as she’ll face four other women in a fatal five-way match at WWE Crown Jewel on November 4 in Riyadh. The match was made after Nia Jax returned to WWE by attacking Ripley and other members of the “Raw” women’s roster.