Though they have been enemies in recent months on NXT, Rhea Ripley has plenty of respect for Shayna Baszler. Ripley ended Baszler dominant NXT Women's Title run on the Dec. 18 episode of NXT, capping off a historic month for Ripley. Over the last month, Ripley has pinned Charlotte Flair, Baszler, and Sasha Banks on WWE TV.
During her 416-day reign, Baszler defeated the likes of Bianca Belair, Mia Yim, and Candice LeRae. As the reign continued deep into 2019, fans began to complain Baszler had become "boring." Ripley took exception to those complaints.
"I read a lot of things on Twitter, and I see a lot of things about Shayna and about me. I absolutely hate it when they rag on her and say she's boring," Ripley told Newsweek. "She's a heel, she's not supposed to be exciting. She's not supposed to make you like her. She's not supposed to do any of that stuff. She's doing her job right. And I hate when people disrespect that fact. So to go out there and put on a match like that with Shayna and prove to everyone how wrong [they are about] not only me but her as well,it's a feeling that can't be matched. I just love proving people wrong."
The match between Ripley and Baszler has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics. After the bout, Ripley was greeted by Sara Amato, William Regal, Triple H and the NXT women's roster. You can view Ripley's post-match comments and behind the scenes footage by clicking here.
