Current SmackDown Women's Champion Rhea Ripley was a WWE fan growing up. While she admired Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix and current Chief Content Officer Triple H, The Eradicator's favorite superstar was The Miz.
In an interview with Revolver in 2019, Ripley confessed her love for The Awesome One.
"I love The Miz! I absolutely love him. He's so snarky and that's who I want to be. I want to have cool comebacks and get people to listen to me and be invested in me," she said.
Ripley's obsession with The Miz didn't just stop there. Before joining WWE and becoming his co-worker, a young Ripley once threw a birthday party for the two-time Grand Slam Champion and had a massive cardboard cutout of him.
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"So when I was a little girl I loved The Miz. I absolutely adored him. I thought he was great. He was awesome on the mic. And his wrestling was different because he was just so snoopy and confident in himself but then also he ran away which I found really funny. I don't know. I just really loved the way that he was. [...] I bought all his merch, I threw a birthday party for him on his birthday. I had a massive cardboard cutout, everything," Ripley explained to WWE Español. [From 0:01 to 0:47]
Although Ripley and The A-Lister never worked in a match together, The Eradicator has appeared on Miz TV multiple times.
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Rhea Ripley won the SmackDown Women's Title at WWE WrestleMania 39
Last January, Rhea Ripley entered the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match at the number one spot. She outlasted 29 other superstars to win the bout and earn a Women's Title match at WrestleMania 39.
The Judgment Day member challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Despite The Queen's efforts, she lost the match and her title to The Eradicator at this year's Show of Shows. Ripley will now defend her championship against Zelina Vega at Backlash.
A WWE veteran pointed out a major flaw in Rhea Ripley's segment on SmackDown. Check out his comments here.