Rhea Ripley has discussed the comparisons made between her and Chyna, confirming that she needed someone like her around as a role model!
As of this writing, Rhea Ripley is aligned with Finn Balor and Damian Priest in The Judgement Day, marking a rare intergender stable within WWE. Such instances are so rare that there is only one notable example – Chyna in D-Generation X. Because of this, ‘The Eradicator’ is often compared to the polarising WWE Hall of Famer, but she doesn’t mind.
Speaking exclusively to Inside The Ropes’ own Kenny McIntosh ahead of WWE Clash At The Castle, Rhea Ripley discussed the similarities between her and Chyna, where she also brought Beth Phoenix into the equation:
“Um, yeah, so like, you don’t really see many groups with intergenders, you know. So to be in a group with the boys, and not only just in the group, but sort of be like the muscle of the group as well. It’s wild to think, I’m very excited that I could be one of the first in a while.
I sort of get compared to Chyna a lot, which I love, I love that. People keep making edits, and I think they’re absolutely hilarious. I did like Chyna, I thought she was an icon. and she didn’t fit in, which was great. Like, she was so different to everyone. She was muscley and just, she was beautiful. The others were beautiful, too. I’m not saying that they weren’t. But she was beautiful in a different way.
Which is like how I was growing up, I was always bigger than everyone, I needed someone. That’s why I look to people like Beth Phoenix as well. She was different, and I loved Beth growing up. So to sort of portray that for little girls that are small and petite, and they like the bigger bill, I am very glad to be that person for them.”
Rhea Ripley joined The Judgement Day, which then consisted of Damian Priest and Edge, at WrestleMania Backlash, costing AJ Styles his match with ‘The Rated R Superstar’. The move has seen Rhea become a top WWE Superstar on Monday Night Raw, initially finding herself in a scheduled Raw Women’s Championship bout at Money in the Bank.
She was, however, removed from the bout after picking up an injury, and hasn’t wrestled since earning the opportunity on 6 June. Ripley has instead acted as a ringside manager for her Judgement Day cohorts, as she will do at Clash At The Castle when Priest and Balor collide with Edge and Rey Mysterio.