How cool is it to achieve your dream of becoming a WWE superstar at the age of 25?
>> It's completely epic and I'm 24.
>> Before 25.
>> You nearly got it [LAUGH].
>> [LAUGH]
[MUSIC]
>> I'm WWE superstar, Samoa Joe.
Nowadays, earning success and
longevity in this business as a WWE superstar is harder than ever.
To truly become one of the greats, it takes years of hard work and
the ability to turn heads of audiences all over the world.
I'll be spending a few minutes with WWE superstars, and
legends across multiple generations.
To talk about the personal journeys of grit and determination that makes each one
of them stand out in the world of sports entertainment today.
Welcome to WWE Grit and Glory presented by Chevy Silverado.
[MUSIC]
There is a lot to be said about hard work and determination.
And if you catch yourself in one of the fortunate few
who are able to work hard enough to achieve their dream of congratulations.
But imagine that you possess so much determination, so
much grit that you achieve those dreams and then some, well before the age of 25.
Well that right there describes our next guests Rhea Ripley much like
the Silverado Rhea Ripley is an absolute beast both in and out of the ring.
In fact, if you asked me,
they make a great pair because they're both about as tough as they come.
[MUSIC]
>> Rhea.
>> What's up.
>> Thank you for joining us. >> No problem.
Appreciate it.
Give me a second.
Every face instead of >> Fancy.
>> Isn't it pleased.
>> Thank you.
>> So I am often asked what the future of WWE looks like.
And if I had to point to one person that the future of WWE looks like I
think it is the woman sitting right next to me.
Thanks for being here and I have to ask you one one big question.
How cool is it to achieve your dream of becoming a WWE superstar at the age of 25?
>> It's completely epic and
I'm 24 but we knew we got it [LAUGH].
But now it's amazing to think I came here 20 years old it was insane to me
little girl from Abali South Australia, it's just the craziest role.
I don't even know how to put it into words, how I feel about it.
It's just dream come true pretty much.
>> Now allow me to touch a little bit on where you came from being in Australia.
That's obviously a long way away from United States and
where WWE is headquartered.
So my question to you is, what kinda mental toughest to take to convince
yourself that not only are you gonna make this journey your career.
To become a WWE superstar, but a jury that will take you across the world.
>> This is a hard thing to think about.
Because I knew that there was the fact that if I did make it here,
I would have to leave my family.
And that's always a struggle like I'm a huge family girl.
And knowing that I haven't seen them in over 2 years now is really, really tough.
I went through a lot of struggles, I didn't have
much like guidance from my family, you could say couldn't really contact them.
Because the time zones like they're asleep when I'm awake.
I'm asleep when they like, it's just it's super hard to talk to them.
I need my mom's advice sometimes.
So like that really does drag on you mentally overcoming them.
I guess I just went to the gym.
That was my safe place.
>> So you found your outlet you would say, >> Yeah,
it feels like home because like I guess we have it in Australia too and
I always went to the gym so it just felt normal to me.
It's where all my stress got released.
I could just listen to my heavy meta music and metal piece and lift heavy things.
>> There's nothing wrong with that sounds like a dream afternoon.
>> Definitely [LAUGH].
>> [NOISE] >> Ripley about to deliver an Avoli.
The new NXT Women Champion.
>> [NOISE] >> Rhea Ripley believe it.
>> Now the secret that your grit got you to WWE, but
also propelled you to championship status.
You mean ideal the pressures of being a tough superstar in NXT.
>> And that sort of human where I when I want something, I'll knuckle down and
I'll work as hard as I can until I get to where I want.
And I always say that I don't have many goals in this business just because I
want to see how far I can get.
And I'm always determined like I remember when I was younger, I played softball for
9 years, right?
And those one year where I was actually team captain and
I didn't miss a training at all the whole year.
And I played every single game, never got subbed.
I ended playing like sometimes two games on the weekend, sometimes three.
>> [LAUGH] >> I would play like over teens in every
age pretty much.
>> You're kind of a club ringer.
>> Legit, yeah.
>> [LAUGH] >> That dedication that I showed to
training and getting better and succeeding, my coach noticed that.
And at the end of the year awards, he actually made an award just for
me called the Dedication Award.
So I've always been really dedicated to whatever I wanted to do, so
when it came to wrestling and making it far at the Performance Center in NXT and
even just like WWE in general.
It definitely took a lot of dedication.
I just have to keep reminding myself where I've come from and
how far I've already gone.
And I gotta keep going,
I gotta keep pushing cause this is my dream at the end of the day.
So that sort of just kept reminding me and I always go back and look at photos.
And like remember things from my childhood and my past, and
it just helps me keep going.
>> So a bit of delving into your past.
When you think about people who have displayed the quality of true grit,
growing up.
Somebody that you looked up to, somebody who inspired you.
I mean, give me an example of somebody who in Rhea Ripley's mark
personifies having grit.
>> I mean, my parents always been a big one for me.
They've gone through so many struggles that I witness and
they just kept going and going and going and going and they've supported me and
my sister through everything, no matter what.
So they definitely want, if I had to say a wrestler, let's say,
>> If you had to.
>> If I had to, I would probably say Raymond Stereo.
I love Raymond Stereo growing up.
I had a poster on my wall I dressed up as him and want to dress up competition.
I made the pants and everything.
>> I'm sure you're the spitting.
>> Yeah, definitely [LAUGH].
But he just like I remember sitting down and watching him when I was younger and
because of like his stature in his height like he had to overcome so much.
And it really just like inspired me in a way.
And he was one of the main reasons why I kept watching this and
why I'm sitting here talking to you today like he's incredible.
He sounds so much in the past and he just keeps going and he's still here today, and
he's still hustler, he's still grinding it out.
>> So awesome, it's a testament to use a formal guide,
he's been able to stay in the mix for logs again because of that.
>> Exactly, I think he's incredible.
>> [LAUGH] Let's flashback to last year,
you're set to make your WrestleMania debut and from the 70,000 people.
And unfortunately as we all know, the world shuts down.
>> Introducing, the NXT Women's Champion, Rhea Ripley.
>> Explain to me some of the frustrations that must have
bubbled up- >> [LAUGH]
>> When you first kind of
became aware that maybe Wrestlemania wasn't going to be quite
the moment you thought it originally was gonna be.
>> [LAUGH] Man, I had a lot of frustration.
I'm not gonna lie.
I was pretty upset.
But it wasn't just the fact that there was gonna be zero people in attendance but
it was the fact that my family can be there to be part of this moment with me.
And that really sucked that [LAUGH] it really hurt and it made me real sad and
depressed but at the same time, it's Wrestlemania.
And even though I say that I didn't have any goals in wrestling,
Wrestlemania is always something that I've wanted to be a part of.
And this was my WrestleMania moment and even though there was no fans in
attendance to celebrate, cheer, boo whatever they wanted to do with me.
And I didn't have my family that I know that they were all at home watching and
supporting me no matter what.
And I just had to keep like, imaging that in my mind and
that's what sort of got me through it.
It was still WrestleMania, so a huge moment is still the biggest thing that
I've done in my career, I mean, it's just a dream come true.
It really, really is.
>> Rhea, thank you for joining me today.
I appreciate you being here.
I appreciate you sharing your story.
I can say with the utmost confidence I've been in very similar positions to where
you are right now and you're handling it marvelously.
Please keep doing what you're doing.
Please keep being you and
keep displaying the grit that makes you the WWE superstar you are.
Now with that being said I'm Samoa Joe, my friends that I had Chevy would like you to
join us next time on WWE Grit and Glory.