On the latest episode of After The Bell with Corey Graves, he had one of the top prospects of the WWE womens division on with him, that being Austrailan native Rhea Ripley.
Ripley was the inaugural NXT UK Womens Champion, which was what finally had people paying full attention to her. The ensuing feud with Toni Storm over the new title set the tone for the womens division to follow, they set the bar very high.
What Made Her Want To Become A Wrestler?
Ripley started training at the age of 16, and there was no stopping her from achieving that goal. What made her want to become a wrestler was rather unconventional, she saw a video of Triple H shoving a screwdriver into Ric Flair’s head and watching his white hair turn red. She loved it, she showed the video to her mum and dad and said “This is so cool, I want to do this.” They called her ridiculous but she has followed her dreams. At only 23 now, she still has all the potential in the world to grow as a performer, and considering how good she is already, that is a scary prospect.
Going To War
Rhea Ripley is one of the team captains for the first ever womens War Games match, which will be the first match where Rhea will be able to go hardcore. She has claimed people in charge of booking have always held back on putting her in weapons matches because they knew she wouldn’t hold back. At War Games, she will not hold back, as the moment she realized she was in the matchup- ideas started to flow in her head. She immediately started drafting up her plans and is seeing exactly what she will be able to get away with in the dangerous match. She’s rightfully nervous about getting hurt but will to try and forget about it. Wants to go balls to the wall, which wrestling fans will appreciate. All eight women are entering this historic matchup with intent to steal the show and over-deliver on expectations.
What Are Her Post-NXT Goals?
With her unique appearance and star potential, she will not be contained to NXT forever. Rhea mentioned two opponents in particular that are on her list for when she eventually hits RAW or Smackdown, those being Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch. Those two are very popular choices for most women to mention when asked who they want to face in the future. Tessa Blanchard of Impact Wrestlings dream match is against Sasha Banks as well. Both of those matches would be incredible. In a match against Sasha, Rhea would be able to shine as a powerhouse, and against Becky would be able to showcase her technical abilities.
The whole interview is a very interesting listen, and something that makes me want to listen to Corey Graves podcast on a weekly basis. Despite being under a WWE umbrella, he still gets great information out of his guests.
