After a short yet sweet build designed around a post-match beatdown on former 24/7 Champion Dana Brooke, Rhea Ripley has officially found her opponent at Night of Champions, where she will wrestle Natalya for the right to call herself the SmackDown Women's Champion… even though both women were technically drafted onto RAW at the beginning of the month.

Interrupting Apollo Crews' media time interview time because Cathy Kelley may or may not have double-booked the segments – leading to a fun match and a Frogsplash-secured win for Dominik Mysterio later in the show – Ripley effectively made the match official on the spot, telling the daughter of “The Anvil” that she was going “end her legendary career” at Night of Champions.

Though Natalya wasn't on the show, and either didn't make the trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania or was already back at her hotel when Ripley made the challenge, that didn't stop the former SmackDown Women's Champion from taking out her phone and shooting a video of her own to serve as a sort of retort to her foe's claims.

“Just want to get something off my chest that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, just from the moment that I first got drafted to Raw until now,” Natalya said. “I was so excited. I was excited for a fresh start, and when I went out to save Dana, maybe Rhea was right. Maybe I was trying to save myself. It’s hard to not see comments online, waves and waves of comments that I’ve read on Twitter and people’s podcasts that have talked about it and just saying, ‘Natty’s not on Rhea’s level, and she doesn’t have Rhea’s momentum.’ But I started thinking about it, and I was like, ‘maybe they’re right.' Right now, I’m not on Rhea’s level. I don’t have her momentum, and the truth is, I’ve never been a favorite. I’ve never been a favorite, and it’s something I’ve struggled with, and I’ve fought against. I haven’t lasted this long in WWE by not fighting tooth and nail for every single thing I have because I know that I’ve never been a favorite. Rhea can mock me, she can beat me up, and she might even beat me. But at Night of Champions, I can assure you that she is going to respect me. She’s gonna respect me.”

Does Natalya truly believe she can pull out the win at Night of Champions, or is this more about getting Ripley to simply respect her, which feels like a face easier task, all things considered? Either way, the match is now set; all fans have to do is wait until Saturday to see how it all transpires.

https://twitter.com/NatbyNature/status/1660847566919987201?s=20

Natalya's issue with Rhea Ripley has always been about respect.

So how, you may ask, did Rhea Ripley and Natalya get into their feud in the first place? Well, other than Natalya coming in for a save when Ripley was beating up Brooke, it all came down to one backstage segment on RAW.

“Natalya, she needs to stay in her lane,” Ripley told Cathy Kelley backstage. “Look, she’s made a pretty impressive career for herself, but I really just do not.”

“There is no but,” Natalya replied. “Yes, my career is impressive, but you already know that, Rhea. And this is not about lanes; this is about you beating down a woman that was already beaten. Rhea, you’re the champ; you’re the most dominant woman that’s ever held that championship. But Rhea, to me, you deserve nothing but respect. Respect, something that you’re not allowing the other women that you’re running through.”

“Don’t act like you came down to the ring last week for Dana,” Ripley replied. “Look, you’ve had a longer career, but we all know that you wanted to be in the ring with me to try and make everyone care about you again, Natty. So, you’re welcome. But if you ever interrupt me again, I’m not gonna help boost your career, I’m going to end it.”

Now granted, is this the sort of long-term storytelling that fans have come to love from Paul “Triple H” Levesque? No, not really, Ripley's feud with Zelina Vega had far more build, and this frankly feels more like a filler feud to get two popular acts – Saudi Arabia loves nostalgia – onto the Night of Champions card. But hey, even if the build wasn't the best, that doesn't mean fans won't still be afforded a good match, as Natalya can still very much go, and Ripley might just be the top female performer in the business right now.