Rhea Ripley Says WWE Women Are Finally Getting 'The Opportunities They Deserve'

WWE's "women's evolution" is in full swing and Rhea Ripley told "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" that it has been "wonderful to see how far the women's division has come," going from bikini matches to WrestleMania main events. Ripley herself has been a big part of that in recent years, whether it was in "NXT," or her more recent work on the main roster. However, she also credits those who came before her, as those women "persevered and they pushed through" so that she and others could benefit.

"We've all just been fighting for so many years to get the opportunities, and to get the spotlight that we actually deserve and it's been really, really cool to see how far it has come," she said. "We are selling most of the merch ... they want to see us absolutely kill it. A lot of the time I feel like we go harder than the men as well, we are going out there and we are trying to prove a point." 

Ripley has been getting the opportunity to mix it up with some of WWE's male wrestlers as of late, whether it's competing against Akira Tozawa or bodyslamming Luke Gallows. It has been another big step for the women's division with legends such as Rey Mysterio and Edge even interacting with her inside the ring.

"Now me, as a female, I get to go out there and punch them in the face," she said. "It's just so cool to see how far we've all come and I'm so excited to see what the future holds because it's just going to go up and beyond from here."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Sports Media with Richard Deitsch" with a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.