Rhea Ripley loves the comparisons to Chyna and is open to a run with the WWE Intercontinental Championship down the line.
Rhea Ripley made history as the first woman to go the distance and win a Royal Rumble Match after drawing the number one entry slot. However, 24 years ago, Chyna made history by becoming the first woman to compete in a Royal Rumble Match.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani of BT Sport after her Royal Rumble victory, Ripley said that she was honored by the comparisons to the WWE Hall of Famer, noting that she knows she can't be Chyna. Still, she's proud to stand firm for who she is, just as Chyna did
“I think it’s cool. I want people to keep saying that. I know Kofi [Kingston] said that he wants to see me go for the IC Title, and I’m so down for it. I love being compared to Chyna," Ripley said. "I know I get a lot of hate, which at the same time, is weird, but I understand where it’s coming from like, ‘You can’t be the next Chyna!’ Yeah, I know I can’t be the next Chyna. She was absolutely amazing, she was herself, and she was unique to her, but I’m the first Rhea Ripley. If I can get somewhat compared to her, I’m doing something right, but I’m also going to be doing it in my own special way. Yeah, I love to see it.”
Of course, winning the Royal Rumble means that Ripley now has a significant decision to make regarding what WWE Women's Championship she will challenge for at WrestleMania 39. As of this writing, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair hold the WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown Women's Championships, respectively.
Ripley says she's still determining who she'll be facing, but she will take a lot of time to think about it.
"I know I've got a lot of thinking to do. I've got chemistry with both of them girls. I’ve gone to war with both of them multiple times. There’s incentives for me to go to Bianca, and there’s incentives for me to go to Charlotte. So, I’m going to sit down and have a big think about this one,” said Ripley.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ripley spoke about the WWE women having the opportunity to go on after the man at the Royal Rumble event. "The Nightmare" feels like the women getting to go on later in the evening is a step in the right direction and proof that all the women WWE Superstars have done something right over the years. Read more here.
Fans can get caught up with our complete coverage of the Royal Rumble at this link and check out our review podcast here.
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