Exclusive: Rhea Ripley Is Ready For WWE WrestleMania

"I am very behind schedule in my head," Ripley said of her WrestleMania week mindset. "I'm not fully prepared at all. I know Mania week is the craziest week of the entire year. At this point, I've stressed myself out so much that I've put all my responsibilities on the back burner ... I have a whole bunch of packing to do, so it's going to be absolutely crazy. I think I can do it last minute."

Ripley started her busy week at UFC 314 in Miami, where she watched fellow Aussie Alexander Volkanovski win the UFC Featherweight Championship. Ripley says that WrestleMania is chaotic and crazy, but that it's an honor to be responsible for promoting the event for WWE.

"I'm honored to do it all," Ripley said of her WrestleMania schedule. "I really am. As crazy as it's going to be, I remember being in NXT and wishing for an opportunity and putting in the work. Now, I feel like I've grown the Rhea Ripley name enough, and now the company really does hold me in such a high regard that they put all this stuff on my plate because they know that I can go out there and I can handle it like a professional.

Ripley opened up on how much of a challenge media interviews were for her, but said that over time she's gotten better and that WrestleMania week gives her an opportunity to practice that skill.

"Media was always something that I was terrified of," Ripley said. "I was so scared of doing media. And I feel like the practice over the years has gotten me to this point where it's it's second nature, and I feel like Mania week, as crazy as it is, it's also reps that I need, and it's also helping me get better at talking to people and getting my name out there and putting across what needs to be put across. And that's a massive responsibility for me.

"I'm pretty much selling the match that I have with Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 41, while also selling the Rhea Ripley name and selling WWE and bringing people to the product that don't normally watch the product. If I can capitalize and show a different group of people who I am that might bring them in to be like 'this girl is very interesting,'"

One of Ripley's bigger events of the week will be a C4 meet and greet with fans at WSKY Bar + Grill in Las Vegas on April 17 from 5pm to 7pm. The strangest spot she'll be during the week? An oddity shop.

"I think one of the days I'm going to like an oddity shop. It's something so fun and something that I really, really like, and I'm going to have fun looking at everything," Ripley said. "But, I don't know who's going to be there, right? I don't know if it's just going to be me and the people that own the store. I don't know if they're wrestling fans. I don't know anything. They might just really like Rhea Ripley, but after I go there and I talk and mingle with people, they might want to check out WrestleMania 41."

Even though the media madness of the week is a focus, Ripley is ultimately focused on her WWE World Heavyweight Championship match with Sky and Belair. Ripley defended the storyline of the match, but also commented on how excited she is for the triple threat stipulation as opposed to a singles match like she's participated in in the previous two WrestleMania's.

"Yeah, I feel like they're faster paced," Ripley said of triple threat matches in WWE. For sure, they're just unpredictable. They're so unpredictable because you have three superstars in there, especially to the caliber that we're all at. You got Iyo sky, Bianca, Belair and me. We're all so different with our skill bases, but then at the same time, that meshes so well together.

"Anyone can get pinned. Anything can happen. You don't know if people are going to introduce weapons, because that rule goes out the window in a triple threat like you really don't know what could happen. And I think that's what's so exciting about triple threats. We don't get them all the time and they're just different. They're fun. They're exciting and unpredictable as hell. You never know. You never know. Like, the champion could not even get pinned."

WrestleMania 41 airs live on Peacock and Netflix internationally on April 19 and April 20. Other announced matches for the event include Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena for the Undisputed WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and more.