WWE star Rhea Ripley reflected on the difficult night before her 2018 Mae Young Classic match against IYO SKY, following the unexpected injury to fellow competitor Tegan Nox. Ripley explained how the circumstances forced her to quickly adapt, describing the experience as deeply traumatic.
She said,
“
[IYO] didn’t really speak English at that time either. It was very, very rough. We had 20 minutes to put a 15-minute match together and it was just alright, plan something. I’m still trying to get over this really traumatic situation which I was just a part of. I still had Tegan’s screams in the back of my head and just the noises that were coming out of her … It’s just like a really specific noise that a human makes when they’re in literal pain. But then going out there and putting on such a good match with IYO, first time ever touching, having Hunter come out and raise my hand on the stage, it was just like I feel like they’re noticing now.
”
—Rhea Ripley
Unexpected Turn in Ripley’s NXT Women’s Title Victory Over Shayna Baszler
Ripley also shed light on the surprising events that led to her NXT Women’s Championship win against Shayna Baszler. Initially, Ripley was slated to lose the match, but the reaction from the crowd at Full Sail University prompted a change in plans.
She shared,
“
That was when we were filming at Full Sail [University]. We’re filming four weeks in a row, so it was like alright, we’re here all day. We’re going to be filming four shows, so everything’s already pre-planned. I was supposed to wrestle Shayna and I was supposed to lose. I wasn’t supposed to win. It was supposed to be a throwaway ‘Rhea is here, she lost to the champion, now we probably don’t know what to do with her’ [situation], but because I got such a massive reaction from the Full Sail crowd, Sara Amato literally ran into the locker room. She’s like ‘We have to change the ending of the match. Rhea can’t lose.’ We’re going to do a DQ because that’s all we can really think of right now to continue it. So it was a DQ finish. I think I hit her with a chair and then I sat on the chair and told her to come back in my ring because I wanted to continue fighting. Then it trickled down and we had the match with the championship. The rest is really much history.
”
—Rhea Ripley
The Impact of Ripley’s Early Career Challenges on Her Rising WWE Stardom
Ripley’s reflections highlight the intense pressure and unpredictability that shaped critical moments of her career, especially during the Mae Young Classic and NXT events. The traumatic experience with Tegan Nox and the spontaneous shift in her championship storyline illustrate the challenges she faced while establishing herself in WWE. These events have contributed significantly to her recognition and growth as a top competitor.
With moments like Hunter acknowledging her performance by raising her hand on stage and the crowd’s reaction influencing match outcomes, Ripley’s journey underscores the complexity behind the scenes in professional wrestling. As she continues to build her career, these experiences remain defining points in her narrative within WWE’s evolving landscape.
