It might historically be a man's world, but there is nobody hotter in WWE today than Rhea Ripley.
The 27-year-old has skyrocketed towards the top of pro wrestling over the past 18 months, becoming the leader of The Judgement Day faction and gaining the WWE Women's World Championship earlier this year.
Ripley has achieved an insane amount of success since joining WWE over six years ago, main-eventing shows all across the United States and becoming the centrepiece of the company's flagship show, Monday Night Raw.
After emerging victorious from the 2023 Royal Rumble, the Adelaide-born powerhouse moved on to WrestleMania 39 and toppled the legendary Charlotte Flair in what many described as the greatest women's match of all-time.
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Rhea Ripley's success in WWE is only just getting started
In an exclusive interview with The Sporting News, Ripley explained why reaching the mountaintop in Los Angeles on April 1st and becoming a champion once again is only the beginning for her career in the industry.
“I feel like I’m just scratching the surface - I’m the type of person that never really thinks that I’m good enough and I feel like there’s always something to do and more to accomplish," she said.
"I have done some really cool things and I have made a lot of history… but I’m not done yet and I haven’t hit that wall. I want to take over this company and I want to see how far I can get.
“Wrestling does move very quickly, but I have had time to look back on that night and just take it in and realise how special it truly was. That whole day was such a rollercoaster of emotions to me.
"It was hard to take it all in and when you’re in the moment, it feels so fast… you know that it’s everything you have worked so hard for becoming a reality.
"I never think that I’ve done much, which is wild to say because I have been in WWE for six years and I have accomplished so much, but I’m not satisfied yet… I’m going to keep striving for greatness."
Ripley has now held every championship in WWE that has been available to her since joining as a smiling, fresh-faced Australian prodigy back in 2017, with her current reign sitting at close to 200 days and counting.
Rhea Ripley breaks the mould for women in WWE
A lot of the recent success for Ripley can be attributed to her alignment with the aforementioned Judgement Day, who have cemented themselves as one of the most dominant stables of the past decade.
With experienced veterans Finn Balor and Damian Priest, as well as second-generation star Dominik Mysterio, the four-pronged attack have run roughshod over the promotion since mid-way through 2022.
But despite the group being predominantly made up of alpha males, it's Ripley who has become the true leader.
“I’m pretty confident within myself and I feel like we’ve been doing a lot of the right things lately," she said.
"We don’t technically have a leader, none of us really lead – we just have specific jobs that we are better at. They all listen to me and they all believe in me and it helps me believe in myself at the same time.
“I’ve obviously got a target on my back… it’s keeping me quite occupied. I’ve got my hands full, but at the end of the day it makes the day go faster and I love a good challenge – I’m down for whatever is thrown my way."
Ripley's on-screen relationship with Mysterio has garnered raucous ovations across the globe, with the pair blurring the lines between reality and storyline to perfection.
And while the young superstars have only gone from strength-to-strength since joining forces, Ripley believes there is still plenty of room for growth in the years to come.
“I say to Dom all the time he’s not allowed to leave me, because I need him and I feel like he needs me," she said.
"We didn’t know if we were going to click or get along… but I think us being so close together in age has really helped in the situation. We are on that same sort of level and it just clicks - it was something that came out of left-field.
"Every week that I go out there with Dom, I feel like our relationship grows to that next little step. This is just such a happy accident that has happened and it has grown into such an amazing bond and storyline.
"I feel like we’re only just scratching the surface… I think it could be something we can ride for a long time."
Rhea Ripley primed for Australian return in 2024
In the midst of her championship reign, Ripley has now been afforded the potential opportunity to headline a major show next year in front of her adoring home fans at the Elimination Chamber premium live event in Perth.
As the greatest export from the Aussie wrestling scene, an exceptionally-proud Ripley explained why hearing the stories of people from Down Under is the best part of her job as a WWE megastar.
"I don’t feel like a big deal, I don’t feel important - I feel like the little girl that grew up in Adelaide, South Australia and was just trying her hardest," she said.
"Going home and going to Riot City Wrestling for a random training every now and then, and seeing how excited people get and hearing their stories on how they started watching WWE and how I’ve inspired them… that’s the thing that really make you think about your job.
"I’ve had a few people reach out to me online and obviously in person too… it makes me feel proud and it makes me feel happy that I get to inspire people like others inspired me. I love hearing them stories and it makes my job really worth it.
“I’m ecstatic [to return home] – I know how long WWE have been trying to go to Australia, because every time something gets in the works, I hear about it - and every time it has fallen through, it’s made me really upset.
"To see it actually be announced for everyone to see and it can’t get cancelled, it made my day and it’s such exciting news. I know all the other Aussies are so pumped and I hope they all get to come back and be on the show as well.
"I think it’s gonna be an absolutely ballistic, wild night and I can’t wait to hear the crowd and feel that electricity while I’m out there."
To register for tickets to WWE Elimination Chamber next February, click here.