[WATCH] Rhea Ripley apologizes for crying on camera during backstage interview after Elimination Chamber 

WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley is currently enjoying a successful run as a dominant heel champion, but a recent moment at the Elimination Chamber event forced her to break character on camera.

The reigning Women's World Champion headlined the recently concluded premium live event in Perth, Australia, this past weekend when she defended her gold against Nia Jax. Mami received an incredible reception from the home crowd that moved her to tears in a backstage interview after the show had ended.

An emotional Rhea Ripley addressed her homecoming in an exclusive interview with WWE after Elimination Chamber went off the air. She expressed her surprise with the overwhelming crowd response and reflected on performing in front of her family in the PLE's main event.

Ripley recalled defending a title in her last match in Australia and was glad to repeat the same in her first match back in her home country. Mami revealed that she sat in the middle of the ring to soak in the moment on both occasions and was grateful for the little extra time she had to marvel at her journey after her match. She was quoted as saying:

"It’s hard to put into words how special this is, to be honest. I’m still so taken back by the crowd reaction, actually seeing my family out there, and to be completely honest, at the very end, when I had that extra time to myself, I let that fully sink in. It’s funny because I had a weird flashback over my last match here in Australia. And I defended my title then." [0:21 - 0:55]

An emotional Rhea Ripley continued, "I left champion because Mami’s always on top, you know, but I remember sitting in the middle of the ring, and soaking it all in, and soaking up the ring, and letting them in and letting them affect me in a way that I don’t really try and let them affect me. And I did the same thing tonight without even meaning to. It was a raw, awesome moment for me. It really was. I hate getting teary on camera, I guess you gotta see every single side of Mami so..." [0:56 - 1:28]

Below is the complete backstage interview featuring Rhea Ripley following her memorable main event title defense at Elimination Chamber:

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Rhea Ripley set for a blockbuster title defense at WrestleMania 40

Following her successful title defense at Elimination Chamber 2024, Rhea Ripley is now set for her next match at WrestleMania 40. Mami will put her Women's World Championship on the line against Becky Lynch, who earned a title shot after defeating five other superstars in a grueling Women's Elimination Chamber match.

This will be the first time Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch will lock horns for the gold in a singles match. They crossed paths earlier on this week's RAW to set the tone for their feud leading up to WrestleMania, but the segment ended with The Man falling victim to a surprise attack by Nia Jax.

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What did you think of Ripley's epic title defense against Nia Jax at the Elimination Chamber main event? Are you excited to watch her defend her title against Becky Lynch at the Show of Shows? Sound off in the comments section below!