Courtesy of WWE
Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Baszler on Wednesday to become the new NXT Women’s Champion, continuing her ascent to stardom.
Seldom does anyone seize the moment in the fashion that the seven-year veteran from Adelaide, South Australia, did this past Wednesday. The match’s finishing sequence was particularly heart-stopping, as Ripley gave her signature Riptide—a pumphandle powerbomb—to Baszler off the second rope to secure the win.
“I was ready for that moment,” said Ripley, who is 23-year-old Demi Bennett. “I knew I had her exactly where I wanted her. She’s on my lap, I’m thinking I got this, but then the fear of slipping came into my head when I stood backwards.