WWE Performance Center YouTube channel has now released behind-the-scenes footage of Rhea Ripley who returned on last week’s NXT episode. She saved Io Shirai from a post-match beatdown by NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. It was Ripley’s first appearance since losing the NXT Women’s Title to Flair at WrestleMania 36.
Rhea Ripley was frustrated with the thought of doing nothing since WrestleMania 36. She reached the top of the NXT Women’s Division by picking up the title back in November 2019. But she suddenly started feeling emptied when Charlotte challenged her at WrestleMania by winning Royal Rumble 2020 and snatched the title away from her.
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The Australian superstar mourned over how WrestleMania didn’t go well per her plan and all the glory was just vanished with a blink of an eye.
“I’ve had a lot of things going through my mind,” Rhea Ripley said. “One of them, the main thing being, how do I get my damn title back? Because I worked hard to be NXT Women’s Champion. Like, I was no one before I came here. Absolutely no one. No one knew me when I came in here. First Mae Young Classic, no one still. Second Mae Young Classic, sort of made a name for myself. First-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion.
“But then when I came to NXT people were starting to figure out exactly who Rhea Ripley was. I worked hard every single day to become the NXT Women’s Champion, and first of all to be the first-ever person to be from NXT to defend a championship from here at WrestleMania is absolutely insane. It was just… it was a great moment of my career. Unfortunately it didn’t end up the way I wanted it to end up.”
As noted above, Rhea Ripley returned to save Io Shirai from the hands of The Queen. But instead of showing gratitude, Shirai started yelling at her and pushing her in the back.
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This angered Rhea Ripley who now wants to seek redemption against the Japanese superstar. Once she’s done with Shirai she’d focus back on Flair trying to regain the NXT Women’s Title.
“Where’s my gratitude, Io? Huh? She’s ungrateful. So Io, once I’m done with you I’m going to go back to Charlotte Flair and I’m going to get back what’s rightfully mine because you know what’s going to happen, Charlotte? Rhea Ripley’s going to happen. Rhea Ripley is going to come back and she’s going to take the NXT Women’s Championship back.”
WWE is using Raw superstar Charlotte Flair on the NXT roster for the time being to give tough competition to AEW Dynamite ratings. It’s unlikely that she’d be spending a long time on the black and yellow brand. As one of the cornerstones of the NXT brand, it’s almost certain that Rhea Ripley will get a chance to get back the lost title, sooner.
As of now, WWE focuses on building a three-way rivalry among Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai over the NXT Women’s Championship. These three may continue fighting over the belt for the entire summer of 2020. Flair is also likely to drop the belt on anyone of these two names when her time in NXT is over. Only time will tell who’d be that fortunate one.
