Rhea Ripley Is the Centerpiece of WWE Raw

Rhea Ripley spent most of Monday's WWE Raw attempting to manipulate world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre into joining The Judgment Day and strengthening the faction's stranglehold on all of the red brand's top championships.

It didn't work, at least not for the time being, but it did provide fans a look at the ever-expanding role she has taken as one of the feature stars of the company's flagship show.

Mami may be the women's world champion, preparing for a Fatal 5-Way match against Nia Jax, Zoey Stark, Shayna Baszler and Raquel Rodriguez at Crown Jewel on Nov. 4, but she has transcended the women's division and is now a central character on the show.

She is a star on the level of Rollins, Cody Rhodes and Judgment Day teammates Finn Bálor and Damian Priest. She is viewed by the creative team as a star and is treated like one, as we saw on Monday.

More than any other performer on the roster, Ripley was the thread that tied all of the night's stories together.

The 27-year-old was referred to as the leader of her heel faction by Rhodes, went about trying to secure the allegiance of McIntyre and Rollins and starred in a five-woman promo segment. She had a presence in one form or fashion throughout the show.

Even the promo segment involving two of WWE's most-hated Superstars, Dominik Mysterio and Logan Paul, can be at least partly attributed to her and the effect she had on the second-generation star.

Mysterio became one of the hottest heels in WWE when he linked up with Ripley in The Judgment Day. Their on-screen relationship has been key to his development, not only as a bad guy but also as a performer as a whole.

Like Chyna before her, she broke the mold, becoming a significant player in stories outside of the division her peers had been shoved into. Becky Lynch did, too, starring alongside John Cena and The Rock at the height of her push, but she eventually settled back into the division.

Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Bayley are all exceptionally talented and their roles in their history of women's wrestling are undeniable, but they were essentially confined to the division.

Not only does Ripley have an ongoing feud for the women's title, but she is also regularly interacting with and interfering in main event matches with guys who can be considered faces of WWE.

None of that is intended in any way to diminish the significance of the women's division.

What Ripley does with her star to better that roster and continue its evolution will ultimately define her. In an industry where women are so infrequently allowed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts, though, it is a welcome change to see a performer who is over enough to be in that position and for management to trust her to help carry the significant stories she is part of.

As long as Ripley continues to hold up her end of the deal while still sustaining the quality of her in-ring work with the women's division, expect her star to continue to grow.

If there is one thing to keep an eye on, it's how frequently (or infrequently) she is defending her title. Since winning the Women's World Championship at WrestleMania 39 in April, she has only put it on the line four times.

That is a valid criticism of WWE Creative and something that needs to change to prevent her presence in one area coming at the expense of another, especially when that area should be its primary focus.

If, and when, Triple H and Co. can walk that fine line, there is every reason to believe Ripley will not only be a central figure but could also be one of the more historically significant performers of this generation.