Speculation Builds Over Who Holds WWE Women’s Title At Mania 43

With WrestleMania 43 set to head to Saudi Arabia, the picture atop SmackDown’s women’s division remains muddled enough that plenty of names could plausibly be holding the WWE Women’s Championship by the time the show rolls around.

Chelsea Green currently holds the interim title after winning a ladder match at SummerSlam, becoming the top active champion while lineal titleholder Rhea Ripley recovers from injury. Green’s reign has been rocky from the jump — she suffered an orbital injury in tag action just days after winning the belt, was given a 30-day window by SmackDown management to get cleared, and finally made her first defense against Nia Jax on September 11. Given how chaotic the reign has already been, there’s no guarantee it lasts all the way to Mania.

Ripley looms over the entire situation. She won the title from Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42 and successfully defended it against Cargill again at Clash in Italy in May before a knee injury forced her out of action in June. She confirmed undergoing surgery in early August, and while there’s no clear timeline for her return, it stands to reason she’ll eventually come looking for whoever holds the gold to settle the score and reunify the championship.

Charlotte Flair remains the division’s ultimate wild card. Though she’s currently aligned with Alexa Bliss and Tatum Paxley rather than chasing gold, Flair’s track record as one of the best big-match performers in WrestleMania history means she’s never truly out of title conversations. A run at a record 15th world championship, whether before Mania or at the show itself, wouldn’t shock anyone.

Then there’s Sol Ruca, who qualified for the Money in the Bank ladder match by beating Lyra Valkyria and Maxxine Dupri on the September 7 Raw. That match is scheduled for October 10, and a win would hand Ruca a contract she could cash in on the champion whenever she chooses. Given her prior Women’s Intercontinental Championship reign and a high-profile Raw debut against then-champion Liv Morgan, Ruca looks like a rising main-event piece — and a successful cash-in could plausibly pull her over to SmackDown.

Finally, IYO SKY remains part of the equation. Before Ripley’s injury, WWE appeared to be building toward a future title clash between the two, and with Ripley sidelined, SKY could step into a larger role on SmackDown while anticipation builds for the Eradicator’s eventual comeback.

None of this is set in stone, but it underscores how unsettled the top of the women’s division is heading into a marquee international show. WWE has multiple directions it could take — a redemption story for an injured former champion, a validation moment for an underdog like Green, a spotlight run for a Money in the Bank cash-in, or one more big Mania moment for a legend like Flair. However it shakes out, the company has months to build toward Saudi Arabia, and the choice will say a lot about who WWE views as the future centerpiece of its women’s division.