EXCLUSIVE: 'Mutual respect' forged between bitter rivals as Aussie star Rhea Ripley claims gold again

LAS VEGAS: Australian superstar Rhea Ripley is back atop the mountain, continuing to cement her legacy as one of WWE's all-time greats.

The 29-year-old from Adelaide added to her incredible WrestleMania portfolio, this time defeating Jade Cargill to become the new women's champion.

Ripley has strung together four instant classics in successive years on WWE's grandest stage and can now lay claim to being the company's best big-match performer.

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When the lights shine the brightest, Ripley's athleticism, tenacity and explosive in-ring style comes to the forefront more than perhaps any of her peers.

She also manages to get the best out of her opponents from bell-to-bell too, this time elevating Cargill to the consensus best match of her WWE career.

Speaking to Wide World Of Sports, the now-former champion heaped praise on Ripley and put their personal animosity from the build-up to WrestleMania 42 aside, admitting the "learned a lot" from the Aussie in their epic clash over the title.

"That girl can go inside the ring," Cargill said.

"It was such an easy match to be a part of. I think that mutual respect between us was always there and people try to make up stuff all the time for engagement.

"I learned a lot from working with her - but it's not my first rodeo either."

Cargill - a former college basketball player and fitness model - has taken a somewhat different journey to the top of professional wrestling than Ripley.

The 33-year-old began training eight years ago and was signed by rival wrestling promotion AEW, before making the jump to WWE in late-2023.

Ripley on the other hand started wrestling as a teenager on the local independent scene in Australia before signing with WWE at the age of 20.

While their paths to stardom are different, the pair do have similarities and will no doubt be cornerstones of the pro wrestling industry for many years to come.

Cargill is hopeful that after a breakout display against Ripley in Las Vegas, she can build and start to square off against some of the WWE's other elite female wrestlers.

"I haven't really worked with a lot of our top, top women," she said.

"We still have girls like AJ Lee, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch - we have a great big roster.

"There are still some women here who pioneered and paved the way for people like myself, Rhea, Bianca Belair and I haven't got to face them yet.

"There's so much more for me to achieve in WWE and so much more room to grow."

While the championship gold may sit around Ripley's waist once again, WrestleMania 42 is unlikely to be the last time her and Cargill meet inside the squared circle.