Summary

Rhea Ripley believes wrestling works best when top stars use their position to raise the people across the ring from them, not just protect themselves.

While speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri, Ripley said the business has moved away from the kind of self-serving mindset that used to create constant friction. She pointed to her recent match with Giulia as an example, saying her job now is to help newer opponents look strong enough to feel like real threats. That mindset also fits where Ripley stands heading into her WrestleMania 42 title challenge against Jade Cargill.

Quote from Rhea Ripley

Ripley said the modern locker room works better when wrestlers focus on each other as much as themselves:

"I feel like we’ve gotten to a point in this industry where yeah, it is kind of about working together. Back in the day, I see why there was so many arguments and so many people not getting along in fights, because everyone was pretty much out there for themselves trying to succeed. This business, it’s not really somewhere where you can be super selfish. It’s a team effort. You have to go out there and you have to work as a team. For me, I feel like I’m a good representation of that because I’m always there to try and help the person I’m in the ring with. I try and vouch for them whenever I can. I’ve been able to get myself to this spotlight where I am now looked at as one of the top women, if not the top woman here in WWE. My job is to now bring everybody else up because I’m going to need some competitors that I can step in the ring with and it look like a real fight."

Ripley later used Giulia to explain why that approach matters:

"You go back and you watch my match with Giulia, Giulia is new to the main roster but she’s been at this for a long time. She hasn’t been given many big opportunities in WWE yet. Yes, she might be the champion, but she’s also hasn’t been given long matches on the main roster and that spotlight to really show that she can shine. So, I’m gonna go out there and bust my ass and try and make her look good and hopefully that opens up some more opportunities. It’s a team effort at the end of the day and I think some people forget that. I like to say it like this, if you make your opponent look like a piece of shit, if you lose to them, you lost to a piece of shit. If you win against them, congratulations, you beat a piece of shit, well done. There’s no point. You have to make each other look good."

What Ripley's comments say about her WWE role

Ripley framed herself as someone whose value now goes beyond winning big matches. By naming Giulia directly, she made it clear she sees her spot near the top of WWE as a chance to help newer main roster opponents feel established faster.

That matters because WWE is already using Ripley in major programs and title matches. If she continues taking this approach into matches with names like Giulia and Jade Cargill, it strengthens the division around her instead of leaving her isolated above it.

Sources

Rhea Ripley while speaking with Shakiel Mahjouri