Rhea Ripley Recalls Near-Botched Suplex Against Charlotte Flair At WrestleMania 39

Rhea Ripley recently looked back at the suplex she nearly missed on Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Ripley defended the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Flair in the first night of the 2023 PLE. The bout saw Ripley do her pumphandle suplex against Flair but nearly got tripped up in it.

Ripley talked about the moment in her interview on Nina Drama’s Kick Stream. She was asked about which move she did that she thought she couldn’t pull off but ultimately managed. You can see the highlights below:

On Being Nervous About Some Of Her Moves:

“So there’s been a couple where it’s like, the high-flying ones that I’ve done recently, I’ll do a little springboard into a headscissor, I’ll do around into a DDT. Those ones, I know I can do them but I still get nervous beforehand… But there was one move, I went into the match a little bit skeptical of it, and then in the match it kind of like f**ked up a little bit, but then I managed to hit it. ”

On the Spot With Flair:

“It was against Charlotte Flair, and I used to do this thing where I’d stuff them in a powerbomb, I’d grab their hands through their legs and pop them around so they’re sitting on me, and I’d tuck them in and pick them up for a suplex, and I hit the suplex. And I remember because she’s so long and lanky, her legs are so long and it’s hard to do that against someone that’s tall.

“But I remember flipping her around, and I got her to sit here. And I tucked her head and I went for the suplex, and her legs caught on my hips. And then I’m like, ‘Oh no, oh no!’ And I literally — I don’t know what happened. I guess it was adrenaline, but I somehow managed to bicep curl her and shoulder press her up into the suplex. But it took a hot minute, and you see us both struggling And I was like, ‘I’ve gotta hit this. If I don’t, I’m not going to hear the end of it.’ And I somehow hit it, I don’t know how.”

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