Rhea Ripley Says She Feels Pressure to Elevate Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42

Rhea Ripley has acknowledged openly that heading into her WWE Women’s Championship match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42, she carries a specific kind of pressure that goes beyond simply winning the title. Speaking on The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show, Ripley admitted she feels a responsibility to bring Cargill to a new level on the grandest stage of the year.

“I do, I definitely do feel pressure. I feel like this is a match that a lot of people have wanted for a long time, especially at WrestleMania,” Ripley said. “Stepping in with someone that has only had limited experience within the wrestling industry compared to a lot of people on the show, I do have that pressure to kind of uplift her and bring her to a different level so we can go out there and make magic.”

Rhea Ripley Draws on Her WrestleMania Experience to Prepare for the Jade Cargill Championship Match

Ripley referenced her own WrestleMania track record as context for the expectations she carries into every Show of Shows appearance. She recalled the pressure she felt at WrestleMania 39 against Charlotte Flair and again at WrestleMania 40, needing to match or exceed the previous year’s performance. “Now going into this, I want to get her to try new things and level up her own game,” she said. Ripley also reiterated her feelings about competing without a championship, noting she feels like a champion every time she walks through the curtain regardless of what she is or isn’t carrying — but making clear that WrestleMania 42 will end with gold around her waist.