How A Rhea Ripley WrestleMania Match Inspired New WWE Signee
One of Rhea Ripley’s legendary WrestleMania matches inspired a wrestler whom WWE recently signed.
Nikki Blackheart is a talented independent wrestler who recently had a WWE tryout, and it’s believed that the company was so impressed that they have signed her.
Sometimes, independent wrestlers grew up as fans of the sport and are now chasing their dreams. However, some people discover pro wrestling later in life, and the 29-year-old Blackheart is a bit of a late bloomer as a wrestling fan.
In an interview with HypeTalkTV, Nikki Blackheart credits the classic Rhea Ripley-Charlotte Flair match from WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles for inspiring her wrestling dreams.
“So actually very crazy. I wasn’t a fan growing up, but I ended up finding myself in WrestleMania LA, and after watching the match with Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair, I was instantly hooked and I got the bug. I got the wrestling bug after that.”
Rhea Ripley’s Performance Against Charlotte Flair Impressed Nikki Blackheart
The presentation of that Rhea Ripley-Charlotte Flair match really stood out to Blackheart.
“So it’s just, the presentation was the main thing, because I’ve always done sports my entire life.
I’ve always been a fan of the entertainment business and seeing how they were able to combine both and create something amazing and beautiful and, you know, seeing all the fans engaged and them telling a story through movements and and facials and, you know, I just- I loved everything about it and I wanted to be part of it right away.”
In that incredible WrestleMania 39 match, Rhea Ripley beat Charlotte Flair to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion in a match that is praised as one of the best women’s matches in WWE history.
The next WWE PLE is WrestleMania 42 on April 18 & April 19 in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup so far:
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
- WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
- WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
- WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar
There will be more matches added in the weeks ahead.
WrestleMania 42 will STREAM LIVE Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on ESPN in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.