Rhea Ripley has competed at every WrestleMania since 2020, and much to the chagrin of some fans, she was recently inserted into the Women's World Championship Match at the Show of Shows. That was originally set to pit Iyo Sky against Elimination Chamber winner Bianca Belair.
Belair also hasn't been receiving the warmest of responses from fans, leading to questions about what exactly it is fans want beyond a successful title defence for Sky (given her recent increase in popularity).
Talking to Sports Illustrated, the Eradicator weighed in on the backlash. "I don't want to say we're overlooking IYO, because we're not. We know that she's a threat. We know what she's capable of," Ripley said. "Hell, I've never beat her in a one-on-one competition. I know exactly what IYO brings to the table."
"I feel like when it comes to me and Bianca, what we've been saying over the last two, three, four years is we've wanted to face each other at WrestleMania," she continued. "We've wanted it to be a one-on-one thing."
"The story is getting spicy. I know a lot of people online don't want to realize what's going on, because they hate me or whatever it is. People are going to feel whatever they want to feel. I'm not going to argue with 16 year-olds on the internet, but that's the story."
"And I mean, going into WrestleMania 41, I feel like, yes, I'm going to be focusing on Bianca, because she screwed me out of my opportunity twice now by being there and wanting to be a part of the spotlight and taking that away from me when she knows how much this opportunity meant to me," Ripley added.
As for what fans can expect from the match, she teased, "Literally, three of the biggest female stars here in WWE are going to go to war. And it's just going to mesh really, really well."
This Triple Threat match has plenty of potential, and Ripley remains incredibly popular among many fans (as do Belair and Sky). It's hard to predict who will walk out of WrestleMania with the Women's World Championship, and that alone should make this a must-watch.
Here's the full, confirmed WrestleMania match card:
WrestleMania Night 1 (Saturday, April 19)
Jade Cargill vs. Naomi
World Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders (c) vs. New Day
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
United States Championship Match
LA Knight (c) vs. Jacob Fatu
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
World Heavyweight Championship Match
GUNTHER (c) vs. Jey Uso
Main Event
CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
WrestleMania Night 2 (Sunday, April 20)
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Sin City Street Fight
Damian Priest & Drew McIntyre
Intercontinental Championship Match
Bron Breakker (c) vs. Penta vs. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
Women’s World Championship Match
IYO SKY (c) vs. Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley
Main Event: Undisputed WWE Championship Match
Cody Rhodes (c) vs. John Cena