WWE makes major Women's Championship announcement; Rhea Ripley reacts

Modified Apr 18, 2025 18:30 GMT

One triple threat main events WrestleMania Night 1, another kicks-off WrestleMania Night 2! (Credit: WWE.com) — One Triple Threat main events WrestleMania Night 1, another kicks-off WrestleMania Night 2! (image credit: WWE.com)

WWE's greatest spectacle is almost here, and we're still getting major WrestleMania announcements. While the main events of both nights have been revealed, we now know which bout will be opening WrestleMania Night 2.

The Friday edition of The Pat McAfee Show was an all-WWE event, bringing on various superstars and other names to hype up the next few days. One such name was Rhea Ripley, who will face Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky for the Women's World Championship.

Before The Eradicator entered, McAfee revealed, alongside RAW broadcast partner Michael Cole, that the women's Triple Threat will be opening WrestleMania Night 2. McAfee stated that opening WrestleMania is one of the highest honors a wrestler can have, only coming second to main eventing the show.

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"This weekend, she's in a Triple Threat match to become champion again, against Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair! Kick-off match on WrestleMania Sunday, the second-highest honor you can get in the entire show," said Pat McAfee. [1:12:00-1:12:30]

Ripley has a lot of history with both Bianca Belair and World Champion Iyo Sky, from their time in NXT to their wars on the main roster. All three are highly decorated, and Ripley is excited to kick WrestleMania Night 2 off with two of her greatest rivals.

Rhea Ripley on opening WWE WrestleMania Night 2

Rhea Ripley reacted to the announcement live on The Pat McAfee Show. The two-time champion was already confident, but really felt that being on first added some extra adrenaline to the match.

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"I just have to start earlier. I have to mentally prepare to go to war a lot earlier and have the crowd be hotter, which is good, because I get more of an adrenaline rush. We get all the emotion straight out," Rhea Ripley said. [1:15:00-1:15:30]

Ripley, Belair, and Sky will get a stacked night going that also features the Intercontinental Championship Fatal Four-Way, the Women's Tag Title match, and the main event between John Cena and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. It's safe to say that those Superstars will have to bring their A-game to not be outdone by the opener.

About the author

Greg is a pro wrestling writer at Sportskeeda. He has been an avid wrestling fan since he was able to do elbow drops off bunkbeds at the age of three. He's gone through the highs and lows of the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and PG eras and lived to tell the tale, with his favorite wrestler of all time being Diamond Dallas Page. His other favorite star is the late great Bray Wyatt.

Greg has contributed to sites like Bleacher Report before joining Sportskeeda in 2017 as a content writer and editor. If you've ever checked out the various wrestling shows through our live coverage, chances are you've read Greg's work. Apart from the world within the squared circle, he also keeps track of other sports such as American football, baseball, golf, boxing, and MMA.

His goal with his writing is to be able to mentally take readers right into the action through his words. Greg strives to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate information by always checking and using only the best and most reliable sources.

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Edited by Arsh Das