Fans saw Rhea Ripley step out onto RAW for the first time last week, but she happened to be waiting backstage for weeks to issue that WrestleMania challenge to Asuka.
Ripley said as much to Joseph Staszewski of The New York Post as the former NXT Women’s Champion has been pacing around catering, itching for her main roster time to be called, which occurred in a big way the night after WWE Fastlane.
“So, it’s actually kind of funny. My last few weeks have actually just been in catering. I’ve just been going to the Raw shows and I’ve just been chilling in catering, not really knowing what was really going on with me or what they had planned. I just was eating too much (laughs) and that’s pretty much how it went for like weeks and then last week I found out, I want to say around 4 p.m., what was going on. Man, it was a shock to me as much as it is to everyone else. I was super surprised, super excited.
“I guess Asuka has been putting over in few interviews that she wanted to wrestle me for a long time and vice versa. I’ve also been saying she’s someone I’ve watched for a long, long time and always looked up to and thought was amazing at what she did. I’m very happy that this match is being planned because I think it’s gonna be a great one.”
Rhea reiterates that sentiment by expressing how long she’s been wanted to wrestle Asuka one-on-one which even stems back to before she was of age.
“I remember when I was 17 I went to Japan for a three-month tour and I was actually on one of the same shows as Asuka. I don’t think she remembers me at all from it, but I really do remember her. I thought she was super cool looking and I loved the way that she wrestled. I’ve watched her since she started in NXT since she had that (win) streak going. I wanted to be the one to break it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t (Laughs).
“I’ve always had that intrigue in wrestling Asuka. I feel like this match is definitely going to be a very hard-hitting match and it’s going to bring things out of me — and hopefully her — that we haven’t seen before because it is a new challenge. We wrestle very differently and somewhat still the same. So I’m very excited to put on a great match for everyone.”
When asked if she is intrigued by the notion of Charlotte Flair getting added to the match, Ripley says she prefers the allure of singles competition, but isn’t against Flair getting in the mix either.
“I’d be down for the match if she got added, but also in a selfish way I really want to have a one-on-one match with Asuka. It’s something that I’ve wanted for a long, long time. I’ve always wanted to step in the ring with Asuka and we haven’t had a one-on-one match ever. So I think there is that it factor that everyone is really excited about. If Charlotte gets added to the match, I’m still not going to complain. It’s still going to be a fantastic match and it’s going to be a fantastic story. So I guess we will just see what happens. She always has her way, like you said, she’ll probably end up in it but that’s not my call to make. So I’ll be happy either way. I’m just happy to have a match at WrestleMania and I think it’s still gonna be great whether it has Charlotte in it or not.”
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