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PWInsider.com spoke with Rhea Ripley at Wrestlemania 39 Media Day ahead of her match tonight with Charlotte Flair for the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship.
Mike Johnson: We're revisiting the Performance Center WrestleMania with you against Charlotte this year. Thoughts on that rematch. Obviously, completely different environment, but lessons learned from the last match? And things you'll bring into this one?
Rhea Ripley: Yeah, definitely lessons learned. The roles are reversed this time. This time, I won the Royal Rumble and I'm the challenger, she's the champion. This time, we're going to have a crowd. We're going to have a lot of people in attendance instead of zero people so we're going to be able to feed off that and get the adrenaline off that. I think that WrestleMania 36, we left everything we had in the ring. I took her to limits that she didn't think that I was going to take her, especially being an NXT talent. I don't think she was prepared for what I had in store. But she still managed to come out victorious, where this time, she's still thinking about three years ago. I've changed so much since then. I've grown. I've grown outside the ring and inside the ring. And I don't think Charlotte Flair is ready for the Rhea Ripley she's stepping in the ring with, because she keeps talking about three years ago. And honey, it's not three years ago, it's the present. It's 2023, and it's WrestleMania 39 and I'm taking her SmackDown Women's Championship.
Mike Johnson All right, so talking about three years ago, you and I have spoken a number of times over the years about the sacrifices you've made.
Rhea Ripley: Oh, yeah.
Mike Johnson: Not being able to see your family, not being able to go home.
Rhea Ripley: Yep.
Mike Johnson: Visa issues, all sorts of stuff.
Rhea Ripley: Everything!
Mike Johnson: I know you put on social media you got to finally reunite with everybody. What did that moment mean to you? Especially given you literally live a world away from your entire family and everything you ever know now?
Rhea Ripley: Yeah, it was so overdue. So overdue. I was so excited to go home and see everyone, because yes, my mom did come to visit, my sister did, too, but I hadn't seen my dad for four years. I hadn't seen my nana for four years, my grandma for four years, the rest of my family for four years. And that's a long time to be away from people, because people get sick, people get old, and you never know what's going to happen. So going home, it was a very emotional time because it might've been the last time that I do get to see some people. But it was also so nice to be home and with them. And it's funny, because my parents are actually here for this WrestleMania ...
Mike Johnson: Oh, nice!
Rhea Ripley: ... so I'm so stoked.
Mike Johnson: So what does it mean you to be able to do this time around in front of this huge crowd?
Rhea Ripley: I feel like it's everything that I wanted from the first one, for sure. This is what my first WrestleMania was supposed to be. And it's really cool that it's done a full circle and I do get to experience that with my family, with the crowd. And it's against Charlotte again, which is wild.
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