‘She is the No. 1 star right now’ — Rhea Ripley’s ready for her coronation at homecoming

LAS VEGAS – Rhea Ripley's luggage was loaded into a black SUV before she jumped in and sat behind the driver. Ripley had a flight to catch later that evening, but first she had to attend the boxing match on the Strip. Big E sat to his right as the pair headed to the Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino for the Teofimo Lopez-Jamaine Ortiz junior welterweight title fight.

She had just sent the crowd into a frenzy at the kickoff of WrestleMania XL – a free fan event where Big E and CM Punk provided commentary while WWE capitalized on Super Bowl week with its biggest stars – earlier today at T-Mobile Arena while standing face to face with Becky Lynch. It doesn't matter that Ripley plays the heel in this pair. Fans flooded her with “Ma-mi” chants as she brooded on stage, her muscular frame and larger-than-life personality cutting an imposing figure.

Joining Judgment Day, working alongside Dominik Mysterio and creating this “Mami” character helped propel Ripley to stardom in WWE. And at an event featuring WWE Hall of Famer and box office superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, Ripley received a pop on par with the trio, proof that her celebrity has even surpassed her status as a global woman. champion.

Ripley, 27, has been on the winning side of squash matches with men, like when she faced Akira Tozawa on “Raw.” She is one of the iconic faces of WWE, expected to perform in high-profile matches while also serving as the leader of one of wrestling's major factions.

So it was no surprise that as Ripley was leaving the arena parking lot, a few of her adoring fans, holding up a cardboard “Mami” sign, spotted her vehicle. Ripley was happy to welcome them by signing a belt and photos.

The ride to Mandalay Bay was quick, but Ripley was preparing for a much longer and bigger journey, one that began more than 10 years ago as a shy wrestling fan growing up in Australia. Ripley returns to her home country this week for Saturday's Elimination Chamber in Perth (5 p.m. ET, Peacock) as the face of the event. She's the singular wrestler on the official promotional poster, and in fact, Ripley is one of the main motivations for WWE returning to Australia for its first Premium Live event since 2018.

“It’s literally his pay-per-view, and I couldn’t be more proud,” Mysterio told ESPN. “It's such a special moment for her, and I hope everything works out because, obviously, I know Mami is going to go in there and take care of business, but more than anyone, I think she deserves That.

“She's the No. 1 star right now. She doesn't compete – the fact that we beat people, we're bad guys and she still gets cheered. We all get booed, but when it comes down to about her, she gets acclaim and it's just because she's awesome, man. She's so good at what she does. There's no woman in WWE right now that can touch her. …C “It's pretty cool to see that. We're in a time right now where she's so dominant.”

WWE's return to Australia for one of its flagship monthly events continues to be a growing initiative for the company: traveling around the world to showcase its products. Damian Priest, another member of The Judgment Day, headlined Backlash last May in San Juan, Puerto Rico, against music superstar Bad Bunny. Priest is a Puerto Rican American.

In May, WWE will organize Backlash in France. And then, in August, the company will hold Bash in Berlin, Germany, where another faction, Imperium, will likely have a strong presence. WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, from the neighboring country of Austria, will likely headline and be flanked by Germany's Ludwig Kaiser and Italy's Giovanni Vinci.

And when Ripley, from Adelaide, South Australia, defends her championship against Nia Jax on Saturday, she will do so at the 65,000-plus capacity Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia. Perth is only a three-hour flight from his hometown.

I consider it the greatest thing I've ever done in my career because representation was the most important thing, and it's bigger than any win or loss or any championship,” Priest said of headlining WWE’s event in Puerto Rico. “Being friends with Rhea and knowing that I'm about to feel the same way about her and that she more than deserved it, I see her face all over the billboards.

“This show is really about her and I couldn't be more proud. I'm so happy that she can truly experience this special moment in front of her family and friends and show her culture and country to the world.”

Ripley has shown the wrestling world, week after week, for three years since she was promoted from WWE's developmental brand, NXT, to the full-time main roster, that she is one of best talents in the sector. Her in-ring work is top-notch, as are all the subtle touches she applies to her character.

The way she smiles wryly after planting someone with her signature move, Riptide. Or how she laughs menacingly as she wraps someone up in a scissoring submission move. Whether she's mingling with girls or boys, Ripley's work stands out. And it's been that way since she moved from the independent circuit in Australia to NXT in 2017.

His dark, gothic style is typical of Ripley. And his theme, played by his favorite band, “Motionless in White,” ties the whole thing together perfectly. When the Pennsylvania-based metalcore band's first breakup rings out in Perth – the familiar cry of “This is my brutality” – Ripley knows it will be an emotional moment, one she couldn't have imagined growing up on the scene independent. in Australia.

“I’m definitely going to get emotional,” Ripley said. “I don't know if I'm going to show it. I'm not entirely sure. I think it's going to be a very organic moment for me because, at the end of the day, I'm still working. I'm going to wage war on Niah.

“So I still have to be real and I still have to remember the story behind it, but at the same time I don't know exactly how I'm going to react knowing it's Australia and just hearing all the people cheering me on with hope. and supporting me, being at home, knowing that my family will be there, that my friends will be there. I don't know how I'm going to react. I'm nervous, I don't want to cry. I so hope we can keep it all together.”

Americans make up the majority of WWE's roster – after all, it is a US-based company. But a large part of the world is represented by the WWE roster. The other two members of The Judgment Day, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh, were born and trained in Ireland. Mysterio, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio Jr., is Mexican-American. Current champions Iyo Sky, Asuka and Kairi Sane hail from Japan, alongside former WWE Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. As of February 2024, 76 wrestlers across WWE's three brands – Raw, SmackDown and NXT – were born outside of the United States.

“The world is our goal,” WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said on SEN Radio in Perth on Wednesday, flanked by Ripley. “You’ll see us doing more and more around the world as time goes on.”

Ripley is arguably the biggest star in WWE's women's division, but she's positioned to do much more than that.

Aside from her singles matches where she defends her championship – a reign that began when she defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania last year – Ripley is involved in major WWE storylines every week.

Judgment Day headlined Survivor Series in November in the War Games match, and Raw's main events consistently feature the quintet. That means Ripley regularly appears in segments of WWE's flagship program – whether she's pinning enemies or helping her teammates with outside interference.

The next feat Ripley can conquer might just be the men's division. From 1997 to 2001, Chyna performed as a member of the legendary Degeneration X faction, alongside Shawn Michaels and Triple H, a female enforcer in the same mold as Ripley.

Chyna was the first woman to compete in the Royal Rumble, 19 years before WWE launched an all-female Rumble match. She also participated in the men's King of the Ring tournament. Even more impressive, she is the only woman to hold the prestigious Intercontinental Championship, a title currently held by Gunther.

“It’s just a matter of what she wants, what Mami wants,” Mysterio said. “She can end up with the IC title if she really wants to.”

“Winning a men’s title would be absolutely incredible,” Ripley said. “Because of my position in The Judgment Day, I get to mix with the guys a lot more. Obviously, there are so many women in our division who are capable of doing what I do. They don't have just not the opportunity to do it where I'm the only woman in a group of men, which is so wild.

“And being the muscle of this group as well, it's absolutely crazy. It's cool to be a part of what Chyna was doing for the women's division as well. So, I'm happy to be able to be this generation's Chyna while still being being Rhea Ripley.

Ripley has carved a path all her own. As a result, she was rewarded with a return home that could help take her one step closer to the top of the wrestling industry, regardless of gender.

“I want to try to create as much history as possible within this company and this activity,” Ripley said. “And then I'll be happy. I just want to leave an incredible legacy, and I want to leave doors open for the women who come after me so they can continue to break boundaries and grow this women's division.

“Because at the end of the day, that's the end goal. We just want to make everything better for the generation that comes after us, while leaving an undeniable legacy that people can talk about forever.”