Rhea Ripley Says She Nearly Slipped During Royal Rumble 2023 Finish

Rhea Ripley says that her hands nearly had a catastrophic slip at the end of the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble. Ripley defeated Liv Morgan in the final moments of that year’s womens Rumble match. The final spot saw Ripley and Morgan both on the apron, and Ripley slipped off and grabbed the top rope to prevent herself from hitting the floor. Morgan went after her hands, but Ripley was able to pull her legs up to rana Morgan to the floor and win the match.

Ripley was reviewing her career highlights in an appearance for ESPN and was asked about the moment. She said that due to her very long day, she was very sweaty and her hands nearly slipped off the top rope. You can see the highlights below:

On What She Was Thinking In the Final Moments:

“Right now I’m thinking, ‘Please don’t fall.’ And then I slipped and I was like, ‘Oh, please don’t let go. If I let go, I’ve screwed everything up.

“Yeah, but like this whole day was just so stressful for me. Because I also came out earlier and I got speared by Beth [Phoenix] on the concrete floor in the rampway, which is straight concrete. I was feeling that, and then I was like, ‘Okay, well now I’m going to come in at number one,’ which is like the worst spot that anyone could ever come in as in the Royal Rumble. Because you have to outlast 29 other women, and it’s just virtually impossible.”

On Nearly Letting Go:

“I managed to get to the the last three, and by then I was so sweaty. My hands were wet. And I slipped and as soon as I grabbed it, I was like, ‘Do not let go. For the love of God, through all the weights that you picked up while being sweaty, this is the one you can’t drop. [laughs]”

On How Close She Was to Letting Go:

“Very close. Very close. Like, I was scared… And I was also worried because I was like I was so tired. I was like, can I even sit up here [to headscissor Morgan]? I was like, I don’t know if I can even grab her. But managed to do it, managed to power through. And that’s the look of relief right there.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit ESPN with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.