SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley easily defeated Natalya in just over a minute at WWE Night of Champions. Ripley recently spoke with Sports Illustrated‘s Justin Barrasso, who highlighted that while Ripley owns the moment as soon as she arrives on-screen, this was not always the case, as it took Ripley time to build the confidence to be herself in the ring.
“I’m a very genuine person,” Ripley said. “When I first started in WWE, I was very timid and scared that I was going to do something wrong. I wanted to please everyone. That’s why you saw the Rhea Ripley you did. I didn’t think people would gravitate toward me. I thought they wanted something else from me. But it’s amazing. I stopped caring. I know myself better than anyone else. I found the confidence within myself to be myself. That’s the Rhea Ripley you see today.”
Ripley also spoke about her friendship with Dominik Mysterio, saying that he inspires her.
“Seeing Dom’s growth in the past few months has been incredible,” Ripley said. “He’s paving his own path. That’s really inspiring to me. I don’t think people give him the credit he deserves.”
Ripley went on to say that she’s having the time of her life.
“It’s a funny feeling when I step out there,” Ripley said. “It’s like I’m stepping into a different body and different version of myself. There are weeks when my legs are killing me because I killed leg day, but then I walk out there and I feel great. I don’t think out there; I just do. I’m naturally reacting and sometimes I’ve even surprising myself. I’m having the time of my life.”
