Who Will Face ‘La Primera’ at Clash in Paris?
On the August 11th episode of Monday Night Raw, the probable main event of the show will have the Women’s World Champion, Naomi, set to face former champion Iyo Sky, with the winner of this matchup heading to France for the Clash in Paris premium live event, taking on ‘La Primera’ Stephanie Vaquer after she earned the oppurtunity to become the number one contender, winning the Battle Royale at Evolution. Now, it would seem like a waste of the storytelling device with the briefcase for Naomi to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase at Evolution, only to lose it a month later to the former champ. However, many have anticipated the matchup between Sky and Vaquer. There have been two instances on Raw where ‘The Genius of the Sky’ and ‘La Primera’ had the opportunity to face one another, yet both ended in disqualification. Roxanne Perez interfered in their first match back in April, and Rhea Ripley plus Naomi interfered in their second match two weeks ago. Both possible matchups for Clash in Paris will have plenty of hype around them, and the one question this upcoming episode of Monday Night Raw will answer is who Vaquer’s first opponent is for her first title opportunity on the main roster.
If Naomi comes out victorious in this matchup, it wouldn’t be surprising. The Money in the Bank briefcase allows a particular superstar to elevate themselves into the main event scene, against main event superstars, which creates interesting matchups and storytelling. When she was on SmackDown, Naomi had many chances to win the WWE Women’s Championship against Nia Jax; however, with Tiffany Stratton on Jax’s side at that time, Naomi fell short on multiple occasions. Cashing in her briefcase on the Women’s World Championship match at Evolution and switching to the Raw brand allows the champion to have new opponents, new opportunities, and new stories to tell. As mentioned, it would seem like a waste for WWE to remove Naomi as champion less than 30 days into her reign. Having the Women’s World Champion Naomi defeat Iyo would instantly move her into her new feud with ‘La Primera’, and would add another 21 days to her championship reign.
However, we have all been surprised before. Before WrestleMania 41, it seemed like the Women’s World Champion at the time, Rhea Ripley, was going to face Bianca Belair for the title on the biggest stage of them all. Yet, on the March 3rd episode of Monday Night Raw, Iyo Sky defeated Ripley to become the new champion. While the match at WrestleMania eventually became a triple threat match between all three women, no one expected Sky to upset Ripley, especially not a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 41. ‘The Genius of the Sky’ could very well pull off another upset on Raw once again. The anticipation of a matchup between Sky and ‘La Primera’ has been there since the two were in the ring together back in late April. The WWE Universe knows how magical a match between the two can be, and to have it actually play out, in front of one of the best crowds in the world in France, would be epic.
The two possible matchups for Clash in Paris will have all the hype behind them. Naomi facing Vaquer, or ‘The Genius of the Sky’, against ‘La Primera’. Whichever matchup it is, the crowd in Nanterre will go wild like they did in Lyon at Backlash 2024. The WWE Universe will be anticipating the final results of this upcoming episode of Monday Night Raw. Who will face ‘La Primera’?
