Fresh off your incredibly massive win at WrestleMania.
Are we have a lot we want to dive in and talk about with you obviously.
But before we do, it's a few days after WrestleMania.
We've had some chance to calm down.
Has it settled in for you yet though?
Has it really set in that you are the Raw Women's Champion?
>> Man, it's just crazy to me to even think that it's slowly
starting to settle in.
I think going out last night on NXT and
standing in the ring with Bianca Belair and Raquel González.
And pretty much showing the new era of the women's division that's coming through.
I think that's when it started to sink in even more for
me that I am the Raw Women's Champion.
It was just such a special moment and
it really did help me mentally take it all in.
>> And that moment that you mentioned from last night.
All that the photo circulating around about you guys on Sunday at WrestleMania.
And it's so cool to see the journey in all of you started in NXT together.
So kind of being in that moment last night.
Did you kinda sit back and realize, wow, NXT is like the groomer of Champions here.
>> Yeah, for sure, I think it's wild.
I found that photo on my phone, and I posted it not really thinking anything.
But I'm like, it'd be really cool if all three of us could walk out like champions.
And it happened.
So, just being an NXT together and going through the wringer.
Going through ups and downs and
seeing each other sorta like conquer all of that and come out champions in the end.
I think that's a really cool photo of our past and present.
>> Yes.
>> But yeah, I only got NXT to thank.
They've really helped us on our way to become superstars.
>> And, Rhea, let's go back to Sunday,
because you were the third one to complete the photo.
We saw what Raquel had done last week, then of course Bianca on night one.
But on night three, you had what made things much more interesting as a fan.
A first time one-on-one matchup with Asuka.
And both you at the top of your respective games and doing so at WrestleMania.
But for you personally, did that make the challenge more interesting?
Were you truly ready for Asuka, knowing that you had never faced her before?
>> I think it's all about confidence.
I had that self confidence going into the match that I was ready for Asuka.
Even though there was never 100% sure chance that I was,
because we had never faced.
In my mind, I knew that I was ready.
So going into that match, I was really excited.
I was so nervous, because Asuka is someone that you shouldn't really take lightly.
There's a reason that she's that good.
She's been doing this for so long and I've watched her for a long, long time.
And I've wanted to step in the ring with her.
But going into this match it was all about my own mindset.
And just being confident in myself that I can get the job done.
And I pulled through, I became the Raw Women's champion.
And I got the bad boy right here actually.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> It's all mine.
>> [LAUGH] >> Beautiful.
>> Miss Rhea, how important was it to assert your dominance in a match with
Asuka, kinda establish your dominance early in that title match?
How important was it to do that?
>> Extremely.
In wrestling it's all about a mental game like I said.
So exerting my dominance and showing Asuka that I am ready.
It's sort of in my mind, hopefully it put her off a little bit of her game.
Because I don't think she really understood who Rhea Ripley was.
She kept saying that I wasn't ready for Asuka.
But she never really questioned herself about if she was ready for Rhea Ripley.
>> Ooh, [LAUGH] >> I had to go in and
I had to just go in with all the brutality that I could.
And just sort of surprise her with that.
>> Rhea, I wanna go back a little bit, to night one actually.
Because I'd argue that you made a WrestleMania moment even before your match
took place the next night.
During Mr. McMahon's speech,
you were one of the many clearly swept up in the emotion.
But for me, it took me back to where you were a year before.
Your first WrestleMania moment, had no people at it.
At that moment right there for you, that image we're seeing, really, to me,
it seemed you were taking all of it in.
What was that specific moment for you during Mr. McMahon's speech?
And then just how great was it to hear the WWE Universe again?
>> Man, that moment, it was so incredibly special.
From having my first WrestleMania at the PC, at the Performance Center,
with zero people were in attendance.
That's crazy, that's history making, and it's still WrestleMania,
it's still a cool thing to be a part of.
But WrestleMania this year, walking out there and just hearing the crowd go
absolutely mental and seeing the excitement on their face.
It really took me back a step.
I was so excited and nervous.
And I had all these emotions running through my body.
And just standing there, I was trying to take it all in.
I was looking around at everyone.
And I was like, man, there's so many people here.
And I started getting a little bit emotional.
And I was like, no, you gotta keep yourself together, keep it together.
And then I looked to my [LAUGH] left and I saw Edge and he had tears in his eyes.
And he nodded at me and he winked at me and I just lost it.
I couldn't hold it in from then.
And then I also made eye contact with a fan in the front row.
And he was like, you've got this Rhea, you got this.
And then, I fully lost it from there.
[LAUGH] So I was just living in the moment and
having the time of my life
>> [LAUGH]
>> Very special >> Beautiful
>> I couldn't imagine how emotional you
were, immediately after becoming Raw Womens Champion.
We know, due to the state of the world
right now, your family wasn't able to be in attendance.
But what were those initial phone calls
and the Zooms immediately after with your family, like guys,
I'm the champ. [LAUGH]
>> [LAUGH] Yeah, I mean,
I wish hat I could have them here in person,
cuz that'd be fantastic. But since that can't happen, I didn't
get to call them for a couple of days. I actually finally got to FaceTime mom
last night. Because they've been working and they've
been doing a million things and so have I. So,
I FaceTimed her last night and she instantly started crying again.
And it was just special.
And even though I didn't get to FaceTime them straight away.
Mum still messaged me, dad still messaged me, and my sister sent me voice memos.
And I could hear in her voice that she had been crying.
So it was just a real emotional time and just so, so special to me.
[LAUGH] >> Rhea as you mentioned last year you had
your first WrestleMania match and moment.
It was obviously under very different circumstances.
But you got that entire experience of what it's like to lead up to WrestleMania.
How much did that help you prepare for this year?
Did it make you more comfortable?
>> Yeah, I think so.
I think last year knowing that it was my first,
I had that adjustment period where I gotta be super excited.
I was still super excited this year, but luckily for
me I also had the first day to sort of get my emotions out of the way.
And then the second day I was there for business.
>> Yep.
>> But going through my first WrestleMania, that was scary.
It was really, really nerve racking and it was such a big deal to me.
And even though there was no one in attendance.
It was still such a high caliber match.
>> Yeah it's good.
>> And a moment of my career that I will hold with my memory forever and
in my heart.
So I think I definitely did learn a lot about myself in that WrestleMania match.
And I definitely brought it to this WrestleMania and
I was definitely more ready.
[LAUGH] >> Miss Rhea,
Miss Charlotte kind of put everybody in on the roster on notice.
With like the promo of the century of past Monday night calling out everybody.
What was your takeaway seeing Miss Charlotte Flair call out
almost everybody in the back?
>> Man I don't even know where to begin with this.
I finally got to watch it.
And I just find it quite humorous that she thinks of me as a snake.
Because I'm not a snake.
I think Charlotte going out there and saying all those things about all of us in
the women's division is Charlotte projecting her own insecurities.
I think that she went out there and, she's got a lot of crap from the fans,
I know she has, but I think that's an insecurity of hers.
And she's bringing it to light in a different way.
But yeah, if Charlotte wants to run her mouth,
and if she wants another match, I'm ready.
I'm ready this year for sure.
So I guess we'll see what happens, but, She can run her mouth all she wants.
Because at the end of the day, you gotta back it up somehow.
And I think she's a little bit scared to be completely honest.
I think she's scared because there's a new era of females coming through.
>> [LAUGH] >> And like Bianca says, all the time.
They don't have to leave, but they're gonna have to move over.
Because we're coming through and we're gonna take over.
>> Yeah, I will let that one speak for itself.
Thank you Rhea.