Rhea Ripley gives her thoughts on NXT 2.0.
Rhea Ripley made her name in NXT. She was even the only woman to ever defend the NXT Championship at WrestleMania. Following her call-up to the Monday Night Raw roster and the exit of top Superstars like Adam Cole, Shotzi Blackheart, and Karrion Kross, NXT underwent a complete change.
Rebranding as NXT 2.0, the brand that was once representative of a grungy alternative to the bright Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown is now brighter than those brands and features an all-new cast of superstars, much more akin to a developmental brand like FCW a decade beforehand.
Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, Rhea Ripley gave her thoughts on the brand revamp. Speaking candidly, she would admit that she misses the grunge aesthetic of the brand but feels like this will be a better move for NXT Superstars of the future and even admitted that she found herself enjoying the show.
"I actually really enjoyed it. I was a little bit skeptical, but I like the metal setting and all that. I was worried about the color. I walked into the building before the show went on and had a good look around. It was so epic to see in person. Seeing it on TV is really cool, but seeing it in person was a step more. Seeing the talent who have come out of the Performance Center the last six months. People I don’t even know. They’ve all been working so hard. Watching the show I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just seeing the people improve who I did know at NXT. Seeing the new faces. It’s a nice change. It was something that was somewhat needed as well. I do miss the black and gold and grungy vibe. But I think this is a good move with NXT."
While in NXT, she developed a great bond with Bianca Belair and Raquel Gonzalez. Expanding on what that bond means to her, she credited Triple H for allowing all of them to share a special moment in the ring after all three were Women's Champions following this year’s WrestleMania Season.
"It’s important for you to find your people in this business. The ones you connect with and get along with and bring you up when you’re feeling down. Bianca is definitely one of those people for me. Traveling with her in NXT was such a good time. We had such great chemistry. We would just go out there and batter each other. It was always a good time. We are very competitive people. She is definitely one of my favorite people to work with at WWE. Having that support system on the road is critical. You do that. Bianca and Raquel are those for me. Raquel is honestly my best friend. She is my travel buddy and I honestly don’t know how I’m surviving on the road without her. I think it was cool to have your moment with us in the ring with our championships because we all know the struggles we went through behind the scenes. To see it all come together and all accomplish our goals and have that spotlight stand together to show we made it through to the other side. That was very special. It’s a memory I will always hold close to my heart. I thank Hunter [Triple H] for giving it to us."
Following the WWE Draft, Rhea Ripley will be staying on the Monday Night Raw brand but does have free reign to go over to Friday Night SmackD\own as she is currently one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions. Stay up-to-date with the WWE Draft via our 2021 WWE Draft night one tracker.
