WWE Veteran Admits They’re Not On Rhea Ripley’s Level
Rhea Ripley has been dominant since finding a new lease on life in The Judgment Day, so much so, that even her rivals in WWE know they’re not on Ripley’s level.
Ripley began 2023 in dominant fashion as she became the first woman in WWE history to win the Royal Rumble from the number one entrant position. At WrestleMania 39, she made the most of that Rumble victory when she dethroned Charlotte Flair as SmackDown Women’s Champion on the grandest stage of them all.
After a recent successful title defense against Dana Brooke on Raw, Ripley drew the ire of Natalya who came to Brooke’s aid when the Australian star wouldn’t stop her attack. That leads Ripley into battle at Night of Champions where she will take on the third-generation star with the SmackDown Women’s Title on the line.
Taking to social media, Natalya released a video where she spoke candidly about the perception of her from WWE fans and says that while she’s not on Ripley’s level right now, after Night of Champions, The Judgment Day’s Eradicator will have no choice but to respect the Queen of Harts:
“Just want to get something off my chest that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, just from the moment that I first got drafted to Raw until now. I was so excited. I was excited for a fresh start, and when I went out to save Dana, maybe Rhea was right. Maybe I was trying to save myself.
“It’s hard to not see comments online, waves and waves of comments that I’ve read on Twitter and people’s podcasts that have talked about it and just saying, ‘Natty’s not on Rhea’s level and she doesn’t have Rhea’s momentum.’ But I started thinking about it, and I was like, maybe they’re right. Right now, I’m not on Rhea’s level. I don’t have her momentum, and the truth is, I’ve never been a favorite.
“I’ve never been a favorite, and it’s something I’ve struggled with, and I’ve fought against. I haven’t lasted this long in WWE by not fighting tooth and nail for every single thing I have because I know that I’ve never been a favorite. Rhea can mock me, she can beat me up, and she might even beat me. But at Night of Champions, I can assure you that she is going to respect me. She’s gonna respect me.”
#WWENOCpic.twitter.com/Bw5zbVsO3A
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) May 23, 2023
The full card for Night of Champions is below –
- Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles – WWE World Heavyweight Championship
- Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Natalya – SmackDown Women’s Championship
- Bianca Belair (c) vs. Asuka – Raw Women’s Championship
- Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (c) vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa – WWE Tag Team Championship
- Gunther (c) vs. Mustafa Ali – Intercontinental Championship
- Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar
- Becky Lynch vs. Trish Stratus