Rhea Ripley expressed that in the lead-up to her main event match at Elimination Chamber, she felt like she was experiencing her “WrestleMania moment before her WrestleMania moment” by returning to perform in Australia after seven years. She entered the scene with the energy of a rockstar and, true to her motto, emerged victorious as “Mami.”
Rhea Ripley successfully defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax on Saturday. The event was an early premium live show for viewers on the East Coast of the United States, and even earlier (or later) for those on the West Coast.
However, it was an opportune time for fans in Perth, who witnessed Ripley on one of the grandest stages of her career – her hometown. With a crowd of over 52,000 at Optus Stadium, Ripley, known as the “Eradicator,” felt the unwavering support of the audience. Yet, surpassing Jax required more than just crowd backing.
Throughout the night, Jax displayed formidable strength, delivering a powerful “Annihilator” to Ripley. Unyielding, she took the battle outside the ring, attempting to slam Ripley through the announcer table with a fallaway move. However, despite Jax’s relentless assault, the table remained unscathed.
Following the failed attempt to break the announcer table, Jax escalated the confrontation by climbing onto Corey Graves’ chair and executing an elbow drop onto Ripley, causing both to crash through the table. It seemed Ripley might have been out of contention at that point.
Yet, displaying her resilience, Ripley countered Jax’s assault and regained momentum as they returned to the ring. Executing a suplex from the middle turnbuckle, Ripley set the stage for her victory, ultimately sealing the match with her signature move, the Riptide.
Ripley secured the pinfall victory, retaining her title with a decisive 1-2-3 count. Having held the women’s championship for nearly a year, Ripley is now set to clash with Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia this April.
Earlier in the event, Lynch emerged victorious in the women’s Elimination Chamber match, triumphing over five other competitors to earn her opportunity against either Ripley or Jax.
Two of the top women’s professional wrestlers in the industry are poised to go head-to-head on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
