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Rhea Ripley Match Added To April 3rd WWE SmackDown, Sami Zayn Segment, More

By John Canton • Published Apr 03, 2026 15:57 EDT
Rhea Ripley screaming WWE
Rhea Ripley screaming - Image via WWE.com

Rhea Ripley will be in action on WWE SmackDown after a rough couple of weeks on the blue brand.

At WWE WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Jade Cargill will defend the WWE Women’s Championship against her toughest opponent to date, the Elimination Chamber match winner and former WWE Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley.

After Ripley and Cargill exchanged words in the ring for multiple weeks, things finally got physical on the March 20th edition of SmackDown when Cargill got Michin & B-Fab to join her in beating up Ripley. Prior to that, Michin and B-Fab were fighting Cargill.

On the March 27th edition of WWE SmackDown, Rhea Ripley was supposed to face B-Fab in singles action. However, about one minute into the match, there was interference from B-Fab’s friends, and Cargill laid out Ripley again.

While Rhea Ripley is known as one of the most dominant women in WWE history, she has been routinely beaten up and outsmarted by Jade Cargill on the road to WrestleMania.

Rhea Ripley Will Compete On WWE SmackDown

For the second week in a row, WWE has announced that Rhea Ripley will face another Jade Cargill ally. This time, it will be Michin.

Here’s what WWE has advertised for the April 3rd SmackDown in St. Louis:

  • Cody Rhodes looks to spoil Randy Orton’s homecoming on The Road to WrestleMania
  • What carnage awaits en route to Jacob Fatu’s Unsanctioned Match against Drew McIntyre?
  • Rhea Ripley will be in action against Michin
  • Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair take on Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • After regaining the US Title from Carmelo Hayes, we will hear from Sami Zayn

There are just three more episodes of SmackDown before WrestleMania takes place on April 18 & April 19.

WrestleMania 42 will take place on April 18 & April 19 in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup so far:

  • WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
  • WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
  • Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
  • United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
  • Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
  • Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. Rusev vs. JD McDonagh
  • Women’s Tag Team Championships: Irresistible Forces – Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins – Nikki & Brie Bella vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • John Cena will be the host

It has been reported that WWE plans to add at least 2 more matches to the WrestleMania card.

WrestleMania 42 will STREAM LIVE Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on ESPN in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.