Rhea Ripley's booking shocks WWE veteran; questions if NXT stars are on the same level as major players (Exclusive)

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo recently spoke about Rhea Ripley's booking this week. The star was in action on Monday Night RAW.

Rhea Ripley was scheduled to face Roxanne Perez this week. The two stars put on a thriller during the show. Just as Rhea was about to hit the Riptide, another NXT star, Giulia, showed up and attacked Mami.

In the latest episode of Legion of RAW, Russo questioned the strategy behind having NXT stars on the main roster. He noted that NXT started as a developmental promotion for new talent. The veteran writer felt that recently NXT stars have been booked at the same level as main roster performers, making it confusing for fans.

"I'm just very confused by this. Are we supposed to believe NXT is on par with the WWE? I thought NXT was developmental. But now, I see NXT coming in [sic] WWE and having an equal ground with the WWE stars. So I don't understand how we're supposed to be viewing NXT," he said. [From 15:12 onwards]

Alberto Del Rio returning to WWE?

As Perez and Giulia attacked Rhea Ripley, reigning Women's World Champion IYO SKY rushed down to the ring to make the save. It will be interesting to see if this event prompts a tag team match in the coming weeks.

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About the author

Prityush is a WWE news writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling who started watching wrestling in the later part of The Attitude Era. Although he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Prityush was a creative writer for his college, and his flair for creativity and love of pro wrestling eventually led him to the journalism field. After an initial stint in 2016-2017, he has been writing regularly for Sportskeeda since 2021.

As someone who loves and respects the business, he prides himself on factual, clean, and ethical reporting, free of plagiarism and AI usage. One of the ways he ensures this is by transcribing videos that he reports on.

Prityush had the privilege of interviewing superstar Matt Hardy in his career so far. Although, his favorite wrestler is CM Punk, as he relates to his Straight Edge philosophy.

When he is not reporting news, he loves reading and collecting WWE action figures. He currently owns over 500 wrestling figures and merchandise.

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Edited by Prityush Haldar