5 Ups And 2 Downs From WWE Mae Young Classic (Sept 5)

3. Ripley Taps Into Something

Rhea Ripley MJ Jenkins
WWE.com

Rhea Ripley’s first foray into the Mae Young Classic didn’t go so well, but it’s a safe prediction that she stands to do much better this year – and it’s not just because she’s signed to a WWE contract.

Ripley’s new persona as a leather-clad villainess suits her size and strength, as she played the heel against MJ Jenkins quite well. The Australian showed good intensity and busted out a delayed vertical suplex, clearly watching Bobby Lashley matches for devastating finisher ideas. Her actual finisher – a pumphandle powerbomb – looked pretty impressive.

With a little more seasoning, Ripley could do quite well in NXT and on the main roster, and she’s still pretty young.

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Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.