Rhea Ripley made a statement in her homecoming.
Headlining WWE’s Elimination Chamber show, Ripley returned to hr native Australia and defeated Nia Jax in the main event. A crowd of more than 50,000 were strongly in support of Ripley, and she worked a babyface style against the more traditional heel in Jax.
Ripley is a main event talent. While WWE could have ended the show with either the men’s or women’s Elimination Chamber match, it was a breath of fresh air to see Ripley shine in the headline bout. While Jax was able to punish Ripley throughout the majority of the match, she followed the tried-and-true story of overcoming the bigger opponent. Hitting a Rip Tide–which she failed to do earlier, and commentary highlighted in phenomenal fashion–was a perfect ending to the match.
After the match, Ripley celebrated with her family at ringside. She will now defend the WWE women’s world championship against Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40.
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