10 Things We Learned From Rhea Ripley On Stephanie McMahon's WWE Show

You don't hear WWE workers use phrases like "mark out" often, so this stood out on the show. Rhea was clearly flattered by Austin’s comments, but joked she didn’t want to get too goofy about them. Stephanie got a laugh out of that one, likely because she knew where Ripley was coming from.

Side note: That's something worth mentioning from the first three weeks of Stephanie's Places. McMahon does truly come across as a WWE super fan. She's grown up in the business, and has this geeky fangirl side that seems genuine. That slotted in neatly next to Rhea's own humble start and daydreams back in Australia. They might've had vastly different childhoods, but both women found common ground in their love of wrestling, which helped the interview. 

Ripley explained that her younger self “would’ve loved to have heard” an icon or two talk up her physique when she first broke in, because she was battling with WWE’s blueprint for what everyone thought female stars should look like and her real self. That’s well-documented, and it's obvious to anyone watching that Rhea is more comfortable in her own skin than ever before.

She admitted to Steph that she routinely hid behind her long blonde hair. It was easy to hide her eyes or any embarrassment by literally flinging it over her face. That was a mask more than anything, and it isn't something Ripley needs anymore now she's become one of WWE's most shocking transformations. Clips of her trying to be what she thought WWE would want her to be make for a compelling watch in retrospect.

Again, this woman has come a long way.