- WWE superstar Rhea Ripley told Insider of the challenges she's felt cracking a male-dominated sport.
- Charlotte Flair continues to face criticism she's only there because of her famous father Ric Flair.
Though Rhea Ripley made it in the WWE through the "blood and guts" route, participating in Australia's independent circuit, she said she relates to Charlotte Flair, the daughter of famed icon Ric Flair, because they've both had to overcome obstacles in their careers.
Ripley and Flair will compete in the two-day pro wrestling festival WrestleMania 39 — the WWE's flagship event of the entire year — at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Saturday, in a singles match for the SmackDown women's championship.
They are historic rivals, having fought numerous times through the years with Flair gaining the upper hand of late.
Speaking to Insider ahead of the big show, Ripley said she's endured countless challenges in her life that have prepared her for life on the road, under the brightest lights, on the biggest stage.
"The main challenge is being a female in a male-dominated sport," she told us. "Some people really do believe in us and think that we could be just as great as the guys, but then there's obviously the other side of it as well.
"There are people who just drag you down every chance they can get because they don't want to see you succeed. They're terrified of us, terrified that women can actually do what they do, and that's why they try and drag us down before we get the confidence in ourselves to prove a point."
One of the things Ripley did that helped prove any doubters, she said, was having fun picking men up and tossing them around the ring.
She's ruined Rey Mysterio's birthday celebration, suplexed Matt Riddle, and bodyslammed Luke Gallows.
Watch that slam right here:
"I have a guilty pleasure reading all the comments" after she does things like that to men on the WWE roster.
"A lot of people don't think that we could do that but some of us are just as strong as men and like that, and if they're annoying me, I'm going to hit them, or I'm going to pick him up and slam them," she said.
"If they choose to do nothing back, that's their problem. Maybe they just can't."
Ripley has an unwavering desire to "prove people wrong" and said it makes her "strive for greatness and history."
She said she was told throughout her life, since she was a young girl, that she couldn't wrestle and that women couldn't make it in the WWE.
"Look at me now," she said. "I'm part of WWE, one of the main faces here in the women's division, and I'm taking over … so who can stop me?"
Charlotte Flair wants to stop Ripley on Saturday
Speaking to Insider recently, Flair vowed she'd give Ripley a tough match. "I need her to prove to me that she can run this division," Flair said.
But she, like Ripley, expressed a respect for her longtime rival — particularly for the way in which she rose from the indie circuit, to the WWE's proving ground NXT, before climbing to the pinnacle of the sport and winning this year's Royal Rumble.
"I admire anyone who wants to be a wrestler — a WWE superstar," Flair told us. "Because I didn't have that path. I didn't know. I didn't grow up wanting to be a wrestler or know what the indies were.
"You've got to give credit to the people that have a dream, and they go for it, and she did."
While Ripley went through that "blood and guts" route, she spoke about how Flair had to overcome a status in which she was primarily known for being someone's daughter, rather than a wrestler in her own right.
"She's had to overcome everyone's expectations," Ripley told us. "You have to make a legacy for yourself, history for yourself, and that's one thing Charlotte has 100% overcome."
Critics say Flair only got her spot because she's Ric's daughter
Regardless, there are still criticisms that Charlotte only gets prominent spots in the WWE (even this weekend's WrestleMania) because she's related to arguably the greatest sports entertainer of all time — Ric Flair, 74.
Former WWE superstar Lita, for example, told Forbes that she's picking Ripley to win this weekend because she created her spot, while Flair was given hers on account of her father.
"Trust me," Flair said, "they wouldn't have put the title on me 14 times if that was it.
"I've said it a million times — I wanted to be a wrestler to help my brother who was a drug addict, and get him on the right path. Not because I wanted to be the next Ric Flair.
"My dad's name, my dad's opportunities in the business, and friends, got me into developmental. But the rest … nothing about my last name got me to anywhere where I was, other than a storyline."
To be the champ you have to beat the champ
Flair wants nothing but the best from her superstar opponent Ripley this weekend. "I know how good she is. And I want her to be good," Flair said. "I'm gonna beat the good out of you. Come at me, bring that intensity.
"I've either been the champion or the contender in all seven WrestleManias [I've been involved in]," Flair told us. "Rhea wants to be the star but to be the star, she's got to beat the star and be the champion," Flair said. "She has to beat me."
Ripley, who has oft been bested by Flair, wants to flip the script at WrestleMania.
"I'm in this business to win it," she told us. "I'm looking for revenge."