Charlotte Flair’s ringside intervention preserves Ripley’s WWE Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair's ringside intervention preserves Ripley's WWE Women's Championship

Rhea Ripley retained the WWE Women’s Championship at Clash in Italy on May 31, 2026, defeating Jade Cargill at Inalpi Arena in Turin after Charlotte Flair emerged from the crowd to neutralize interference from Cargill’s allies and swing the outcome of the match.

Cargill pushed Ripley throughout the contest, punctuating her offensive sequences with push-up taunts directed at the champion. The match shifted when B-Fab, accompanying Cargill at ringside, placed Cargill’s foot on the rope to break a pin attempt that appeared to give Ripley the victory. Flair then intervened, taking out both B-Fab and Michin before breaking up a subsequent pin attempt by Cargill following a Jaded. With Cargill distracted by Flair’s presence, Ripley landed a headbutt and then her finishing move, the Riptide, to secure the three-count.

The involvement of Flair carried notable backstory. The two competitors met at WrestleMania 39, a match widely regarded as a career-defining moment for both women. Their relationship has grown more layered during Ripley’s ongoing feud with Cargill, though Flair’s allegiances remain ambiguous. After the match concluded, Flair held a prolonged stare at Cargill as she rolled from the ring, an image that underscored the unresolved nature of her alliance with the champion.

With WWE’s two-night SummerSlam in Minneapolis approaching later in the year, Flair’s intervention positions her as a credible contender for the Women’s Championship. Whether that assistance signals a formal alliance with Ripley or a calculated step toward her own title pursuit remains an open question heading into the weeks that follow Clash in Italy.