'Intimidating' Aussie's 'scary looking' makeover before WrestleMania triumph
Australian WWE star Rhea Ripley has admitted to being 'completely unprepared' for her walk-out after claiming the SmackDown women's championship at WrestleMania 39.
The Adelaide-born wrestler defeated defending champion Charlotte Flair at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium with 80,000 fans watching on.
Victory at the event was Ripley's first at WrestleMania, with the newly crowned champion shocked by the fanfare upon entering the arena.
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"It was absolutely electric, walking out on to the stage, I was completely unprepared for that amount of people," she told Nine's TODAY.
"I remember walking through and I was not in the right mindset but as soon as I walked through and saw everyone I switched on completely. It was so loud in that building, it was unbelievable.
"Everyone was just so ecstatic and electric the whole night and then I looked into the crowd (and) I saw my family in the front row as well which also gave me the biggest adrenaline rush - it was such an emotional night."
Rhea Ripley celebrates her WrestleMania 39 victory. Getty
The 26-year-old's win adds to her Raw women's title she sealed at WrestleMania two years ago.
Since signing with WWE in 2017, Ripley has risen to the top and changed her look from long blonde hair to a short, dark style.
Ripley has also started to embrace a new attitude that's made her a tough opponent in the wrestling arena.
"You've got to be a force to be reckoned with when you're out there. You've got to be intimidating, daunting, scary looking and that's what I find I'm really, really good at," she said.
"I've been at this for just over ten years now and it doesn't ever get easy, it's definitely a difficult industry to be part of, but it's so rewarding at the same time."
And while the taste of victory is sweet in the United States, Ripley hopes one day she can win a championship on home soil.
"I 100 per cent agree (WrestleMania should come to Adelaide), I would love to go back home, and if it's a free trip I'll take it," she laughed.
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