Growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, seeing an Australian on WWE television was never a reality.
But fast-forward to 2022 and not only are there Aussies littered across all the major pro wrestling promotions overseas, but one of our very own is in a featured spot on WrestleMania.
For the past few years, Adelaide-born Rhea Ripley has been a name on many wrestling fan's lips, dominating during her time as NXT Women's Champion and Raw Women's Champion.
Still only 25 years of age, Ripley is heading into her third WrestleMania - and this time will be completely different to her first two experiences at 'The Showcase of the Immortals' - and will be competing for the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles alongside Liv Morgan.
Speaking to Sporting News heading into the huge show in Dallas, Ripley explained why her excitement levels are higher than ever and how her team with Morgan came to fruition.
“I’m very excited – whenever it is WrestleMania season, you can definitely feel it," she said.
"Everyone is always on their toes and they are getting ready and preparing with everything – body, gear, movesets. You can definitely tell when it’s WrestleMania season and I’m very pumped.
"This year is gonna be insane, because it’s the first year we can actually sell out the whole arena that I’ve been a part of. My first WrestleMania – zero people in attendance. My second WrestleMania – it wasn’t full, it felt like it was full, but it definitely wasn’t. This year we can fill it up and it will be absolutely insane, I can’t wait.
“I feel like most of my tag team runs come from nowhere – I’m not really the friendliest person, I don’t really get along with everyone. I did just end things with Nikki, she stabbed me in the back, so I’m a little bit hesitant with people right now.
"Liv is someone I’ve tagged with quite a few times – it hasn’t been just us two, mainly in groups. We did Liv’s team on Raw, we had Survivor Series together, we’ve done a few different things.
"I feel like I can trust her and I’ve known her for a long time – we’ve been at the Performance Center together down in NXT.
"I know her, she knows me, we get along well – I like her style, I think she is peppy and she makes me smile, she gets me pumped up.
"I think going into WrestleMania this year and wrestling for the Women’s Tag Team Championships –something I held not too long ago with someone else – but fighting for it now with Liv, I’m very excited and I hope that we pull through and get the victory."
Watch Sporting News' full interview with Rhea Ripley below.
Ripley has spent plenty of her early career in WWE with gold around her waist, and she's also had the opportunity to work extended programs with both Charlotte Flair and Asuka - two of the best female talents in history.
For a talent like Ripley that is still in the infancy of her career, getting the opportunity to work week-in and week-out with veterans of the business is something that has clearly fast-tracked her progression in WWE.
“It was incredible – Charlotte and Asuka are phenomenal and are such great talents and they have been in the business for such a long time," she said.
"Asuka is someone that I had wanted to wrestle since being 17, I went to Japan for three months and wrestled on the same show as Asuka. From then on, I wanted to be in the ring with her at some point and it was wild that the first time we got a match was at WrestleMania.
"I learnt a lot from her in many different ways – a lot about wrestling in general and how to stay calm – she is so incredible.
"It’s the same with Charlotte – I have stepped in the ring with Charlotte many times, and I feel like every time I step in the ring with her, I perfect my craft a little bit more. She takes me to the absolute limit every single time.
"I’ve definitely learnt a lot about that and some backstage stuff as well and watching her stay calm with things, it really does help me and my mindset as well."
Ripley has had plenty of great role models and dance partners during her WWE run to date, but growing up in Australia, there was never a clear pathway for her to attain her goals inside the ring.
But in the mid-2010s, the likes of Tenille Dashwood (fka Emma), Cassie Lee (fka Peyton Royce) and Jess McKay (Billie Kay) began to represent Australia on a global stage, opening the door for women like Ripley - something she hasn't forgotten.
"Growing up in Australia and especially watching WWE, there was no one," she said.
"There was no one from Australia, especially in the women’s division, that I could really look up to, so being that person for Australia is insane.
"Following in the footsteps of The Iconics and Emma and having them girls break through that rooftop before I could get here, I owe it all to them. They got Australia on the map for WWE and I’m just here trying to keep it alive.
"I really hope that we do another Australian tryout, because there is so much talent in Australia and it’s absolutely insane that some of the people there aren’t here yet.
"I’m very proud that I get to be the person to represent Adelaide, South Australia – it is wild hearing that every time the ring announcer says it, it just blows my mind."
Ripley is well and truly at the forefront of the rise of Aussie talent making waves overseas, while the likes of Indi Hartwell and Grayson Waller are also growing their stocks in WWE's developmental territory of NXT.
But looking across all the major promotions in the world - AEW, NJPW and Impact - there are Australians littered absolutely everywhere.
Dashwood, Lee and McKay have all become mainstays in Impact alongside JONAH; Buddy Matthews has signed with AEW and become the first Aussie talent in that company; while the high-flying Robbie Eagles has held both tag and singles gold in New Japan.
Ripley believes the options for Australian talent across the globe is good for the wrestling economy - even if it's something that she never had in her formative years.
“Oh 100 per-cent yes (it's a good thing)," she said.
"I remember when I first started wrestling in Australia, the one thing that my coach said was ‘if your dream is to go to WWE, don’t get your hopes up because they don’t really look at Australian talent’.
"To see how many of us have actually broken through over here now, it’s incredible and I’m so proud of everyone.
"I hope we go back there and grab some more talent because us Aussies are taking over. We’re showing everyone that we don’t mess around in Australia – we train our butts off and we strive for that gold and that’s exactly what we are doing.
"Fingers crossed on more Aussie talent."
Speaking of other promotions - Ripley certainly has her eye on some of the woman making waves in AEW.
Quizzed on getting in the ring with the likes of Britt Baker and Thunder Rosa, Ripley welcomed the challenge but still has unfinished business with some WWE stars first.
“I see a lot on social media and all them girls are doing incredible things and breaking boundaries," she said.
"It is great to see the women’s division in wrestling in general, we are all making so much history and proving to everyone that we can go just as hard as the boys and I am loving every single second of it.
"Of course I would love to step in the ring with many of them – break down that forbidden door – but at the same time, there are so many women in WWE that I still haven’t been able to wrestle.
"I want to try and see how many people I can go through in WWE first and if any of them want to come down, I am always down for a challenge. If they are going to come and join me, they better bring it.
“There’s always going to be something with Charlotte and I – it doesn’t feel like it’s over, so that will probably pick up at some point down the line. I’m not done with her and I don’t think she is finished with me.
"There are two people that I really want to step in the ring with – one of them being Becky (Lynch). I only got to step in the ring with her a little bit in NXT for one match.
"I would love to possible challenge Becky or Bianca (Belair) – I am very intrigued with their title match at WrestleMania, I don’t know what is going to happen and it could go either way. They are the two people I want to step in the ring with.
"Bianca is someone I have been been able to step in the ring with quite a few times, we know each other like the back of our hands – I think it would be a very competitive match to say the least."
With so much hype around the world of pro wrestling at this time of year with AEW coming off another stellar pay-per-view and WWE preparing for WrestleMania, it's exciting times for everybody involved.
And while Ripley has her eyes fixed on capturing the tag titles with Morgan, there are some other matches she is looking forward to watching from a fan's perspective in Dallas.
“I’m really looking forward to Becky and Bianca," she said.
"I think them girls are gonna bring it, I think Bianca is gonna teach Becky a lesson for sure.
"Another one, I’m gonna sound biased because they are girls, but I’m really looking forward to Charlotte and Ronda (Rousey) as well. It’s going to be intense no matter what – they always bring the intensity no matter who they are wrestling.
"Apart from the girls, I’m really looking forward to Brock and Roman. I think that’s going to be a war as well."
WrestleMania 38 streams LIVE on WWE Network - Sunday 3rd April and Monday 4th April at 10am AEST.