38-year-old WWE star takes credit for heavily influencing Rhea Ripley's career
Rhea Ripley made her WWE debut in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017. While she was a formidable foe to her peers right out of the gate, Ripley only cemented her main event status six years later. And it was against 14-time World Champion Charlotte Flair.
By the time WrestleMania 39 rolled around, Rhea Ripley established her goth-inspired on-screen persona. On Night One of the Show of Shows in 2023, she defeated The Queen to win gold. A few months later, she was awarded the Women's World Championship on RAW.
In an interview with the Daily Star, Charlotte Flair reflected on her long-standing rivalry with The Eradicator. She feels their first WrestleMania encounter would be remembered better had there been fans in attendance, as it took place in the wake of the lockdown.
Flair also looked back fondly on her Money in the Bank and SummerSlam encounters in 2021 with Ripley, and their singles match at WrestleMania 39, taking credit for catapulting her rival into superstardom. The Queen also added that each time brought out a different side of her.
"This is what I'm talking about - undeniably. Absolutely," Charlotte Flair said when asked if she was pleased that she played a pivotal role in Rhea Ripley's career. "And WrestleMania 39! All of them, because I can't say a favourite, but they all have brought out a different side of me and challenged me in a different way and had pivotal moments in each one." [H/T: Daily Mail]
Charlotte Flair won her second Royal Rumble in 2025 and has a date with Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton at WrestleMania 41.
WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley is desperate this WrestleMania season
In 2023, Rhea Ripley won the Royal Rumble and dethroned The Queen on The Granddaddy of Them All. She retained the belt for the rest of the year, and in 2024, defeated yet another Four Horsewoman, Becky Lynch, at the annual spectacle. Unfortunately, she relinquished the belt shortly thereafter owing to injury.
On the Netflix premiere of WWE RAW in 2025, The Eradicator finally regained the Women's World Championship, but IYO SKY abruptly ended her reign on the March 3 edition of WWE's flagship show. Ripley has since been chasing the title as it was Bianca Belair's interference that cost her the match.
The former Judgment Day member even crashed a contract signing between the 2025 Women's Elimination Chamber winner and the World Champion on RAW in an attempt to get involved in the WrestleMania 41 match between the two. This led to RAW GM Adam Pearce granting Ripley a rematch for the title with The EST as the special guest referee. However, things didn't work out for Mami yet again as Belair disqualified both women.
After the match, Rhea Ripley brutalized SKY and Belair. But her involvement in WrestleMania 41 is still uncertain. It'll be interesting to see if The Nightmare will be able to find a spot on the 'Mania card in the upcoming days.
