15 Things We Learned From WWE Unreal

Anyone who has watched even a few minutes of any Rhea Ripley interview will know that she's an anxious, humble human being deep down. The confident bluster of 'Mami' on screen is just a character. It's that type of confidence that Rhea doesn't have 100% of the time behind the curtain, and the first episode of Unreal laid that bare whilst talking about Raw's debut on Netflix.

Ripley says she spent the entire day “not having any braincells working”. It was just a stressful experience from start to finish, and she was feeling the pressure before her title match vs. Liv Morgan. Footage of Rhea visibly stressing in-ring during run throughs shows a side of WWE stars most don’t get to see. “I know I’m not ready for this”, she adds. “I didn’t even know what makeup I wanted”.

Reflecting her nervousness, Ripley didn’t even wear the gear she'd had made especially for the show either. She didn't think she looked good in it. On the heels of that, Unreal showed clips of Rhea running through each spot in the match with Damian Priest backstage. It's a gripping watch, and it's clear she's all over the place mentally.

To his credit, and like a good friend should, Priest told her to relax and “be prepared to cut” sequences due to time if need be. Remarkably, Ripley was “completely fine” once she heard her music hit. She went into go mode, and it was on. That's a recurring theme with her performances.

Rhea comes across as a relatable and anxious person throughout Unreal. Realistically, that grounded personality will only endear her to wrestling fans further.