Bianca Belair said she didn’t care what title she held because all she cared about was being champion, having been drafted to SmackDown with the Raw Women’s title.
Belair has been Raw Women’s Champion for a record 417 days, since losing Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, however, she was moved to the SmackDown WWE Draft earlier this month despite the red brand title .
In another twist, Rhea Ripley, the SmackDown Women’s Champion, moved in the opposite direction, meaning she holds the blue brand title when competing on Monday Night Raw.
The move sparked speculation that we could see a belt swap between the two Superstars, in hopes it would go better than the disastrous switch between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in 2021, where Flair’s reluctance to making the swap made viewing awkward.
However, in an exclusive interview with Sportsmail, WWE’s EST denied any knowledge of a possible repeat belt change and said all she cares about is being a champion – no matter what. the belt she was holding.
Bianca Belair only cares about being champion despite being drafted to Smackdown with the Raw Women title
Rhea Ripley is the SmackDown Women’s Champion but a member of the Raw roster
‘Euh, I do not know ! All I know is I got drafted to SmackDown and in my mind I think I guess I’m going to SmackDown so I guess I’m gonna be the SmackDown Champion – because wherever I Come on, I’m going to be the champion. But then Rhea got drafted to Raw, so I don’t know. Bianca said when asked about a possible trade.
“Right now, I’m on SmackDown and I’m the champion of Raw, so as long as I’m champion, that’s all I care about.”
I know I’m on SmackDown but it’s really cool to have the Raw title because when the draft came around I thought oh my God if I go to SmackDown will I get the title SmackDown? Because the repechage was a week before I broke the record, so I was thinking if that was going to change before I broke the record?
We’ll just have to see what happens and I think that makes it really exciting because we don’t really know what’s going to happen and what might happen.
At present, Bianca remains the Raw Women’s Champion and will defend her title and record reign when she faces Asuka at Night of Champions this Saturday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Her reign is the longest title run of any woman in the modern era, but it’s a milestone that WWE hasn’t championed as much as Roman Reigns’ all-conquering run with the undisputed championship.
Belair thinks her race is also important, but also admits that being so busy the time has gone by so quickly
WWE’s EST is on a record 417-day reign as Raw Women’s Champion
A WWE Champion’s busy schedule sees Belair make regular appearances at big events
“I feel like we need to celebrate this more – it’s a big deal.”
“But I also think it makes me downplay it a little bit more because somebody came to me about it last week and said ‘Wow, 400 odd days is a big deal’ and I was like (shouting) “You’re right! This is a big deal!’ I also need people to show me off.
I have to pinch myself and remind myself sometimes, because I think being the champion and having that championship schedule, you’re always on the move, it’s like go, go, go, go. So 400 days, time flies so fast. But then when I think back to my title defenses and all the amazing matches I’ve had, and all the WrestleMania, that’s a lot!
And I’m blessed and I’m honored, and I’m just trying to go as long as I can. I feel like I’ve now put myself in the position where I’ve done WrestleMania three times, but is this a novelty, is this a WrestleMania series?
Now that you’ve passed 400 days, you’re the longest reigning women’s champion in the modern era, how long are you going to go? It’s like wow! I feel like every time I’m in a game, there’s always those kinds of issues at the table.
Bianca’s showdown with Asuka is part of a huge card on Saturday night, which also sees Cody Rhodes’ rematch with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns teaming up with Solo Sikoa to challenge Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the undisputed tag team titles of the WWE.
Be sure to catch Night of Champions this Saturday on WWE Network from 6pm BST
