Mia Yim returned to WWE on November 7, joining The OC in their heated feud against Judgement Day. For months, dating back to their rivalry with the Mysterios, Judgement Day has been winning matches via interference from Rhea Ripley. Beth Phoenix tried to be the equalizer for Edge when he was fighting Balor in an I Quit match at Extreme Rules, but not even the Hall Of Famer was enough to turn the tides. The reinforcement has been a long time coming for AJ Styles as he builds up forces to take on the Finn Balor-led stable on Monday Night Raw.
Enter Yim, who has enough of an edge to be a real equalizer against Ripley. Since Judgement Day formed, Ripley has been utilized as a Chyna-esque heater. She is a woman who is capable of beating up half of the guys on the roster due to her size and strength. It's worked, too. The Judgment Day has legit heat, frequently getting some of the best reactions on whatever show they're working—even though those crowd reactions are adverse. No one has been able to counter their formula. At least not until Yim showed up to back AJ Styles, Gallows, and Anderson.
Mia Yim Has The Presence Needed To Hang With Rhea Ripley
Finding someone who can legit stand face-to-face with Ripley without looking like an afterthought is difficult. There's a reason she's been so effective with Judgement Day. WWE doesn't roster many women who can stand up to her in a realistic manner. Yim, with a kendo stick in hand, definitely can. She stood out in NXT and has a built-in history with Ripley due to their time in the developmental territory together. Yim was never a champion in NXT, but she still has the background needed to stand toe to toe with Ripley.
WWE has generally approached Yim as a wrestler who has an edge. That makes sense, given that she got her start in CZW. Earlier this year, she was also wrestling men in Impact Wrestling's X-Division, giving her even more of a leg to stand on when fighting the tough-as-nails Ripley. The background is all there, but perhaps the most critical aspect of Yim joining The OC is her apparent on-screen chemistry with the group. They have yet to appear on camera much together, but she seems to click quite well with the Styles-led faction. Gallows, Anderson, and Styles have been good friends for a long, long time, so it'd be easy for someone to get lost in the shuffle with them on screen.
That doesn't seem like a concern for Yim. She is strong enough on the mic to speak her mind and get her angles over with the audience. Ripley and Yim will likely be involved in a match at WWE's next premium live event, Survivor Series, which is somewhat ironic since, at one point in NXT, Rhea wanted Mia to be on her team for WarGames. This is, without question, the brightest spotlight Yim has wrestled under so far in her career, and it's exciting to see. She was arguably the best aspect of the failed Retribution stable, was excellent in NXT, and always had strong showings in Impact. At 33, Yim has a ton of runway left to carve out a niche in WWE, and landing alongside The OC to take on Judgement Day is a break she'll likely make the most of moving forward. Triple H continues to do an excellent job of fleshing out the women's division, and bringing Yim back into WWE's fold is a move that ought to pay dividends down the road. For the time being, though, she gets to be a part of one of the most storied stables in modern wrestling history, as The OC is an offshoot of NJPW's Bullet Club.