Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell thinks it's only a matter of time before Rhea Ripley locks horns with a male competitor in WWE.
The Eradicator has come face-to-face with the likes of Solo Sikoa, Seth Rollins, and, in a jaw-dropping moment, once bodyslammed Luke Gallows. Though her only intergender match to this date is a squash win over Akira Tozawa, Rhea Ripley has been booked like a force of nature who could take down anyone.
For now, she is focused on defending her Women's World Championship against Raquel Rodriguez at SummerSlam 2023. On Sportskeeda's SmackTalk, Dutch Mantell stated that Ripley should run past Rodriguez on Saturday night.
Mantell also mentioned that Rhea Ripley needs to be booked strongly at SummerSlam, as she's sure to have a showdown with a male star soon.
"I wouldn't drag that out too much because Rhea has places to go, and she needs to get there fairly quick. So I this Raquel Rodriguez girl, and I like her. (But) I don't think she needs to stand in the way. Rhea Ripley is the modern-day Chyna. That's what she is. I think we will eventually see her wrestle a guy, and I think that will be good. Ripley over by a pinfall with no shenanigans." said Dutch Mantell. [From 20:05 to 20:44]
Check out the full video below:
Losing to Rhea Ripley took a toll on Natalya
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter, Natalya spoke about how disappointed she was after losing to Rhea Ripley in mere seconds at Night of Champions 2023. The former SmackDown Women's Champion added that it took days for her to get herself together before sending out a tweet addressing her loss.
"Even when Jimmy Uso kicked Roman in the head, I saw that vulnerability in Roman where I was like, 'Oh my God,'" Natalya continued. "That vulnerability is a very hard place for people to go to, and even for myself we talked earlier about what happened with me at Night of Champions. It took me 10 days to tweet about how I don't even know if I know how to be me anymore."
Though there's little chance of Raquel Rodriguez dethroning The Judgment Day member at SummerSlam 2023, she could still put up a valiant fight.
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