Rhea Ripley says the pressure is already building ahead of her Women’s title match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42. Speaking on The Ebro, Laura & Rosenberg Show, Ripley said the matchup is one fans have wanted for a long time, especially on wrestling’s biggest stage.
“I do. I do. I definitely do,” Ripley said, adding that “there’s already so much pressure going into that day and into that match.” WrestleMania 42 is set for April 18 and 19 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Ripley said the feeling is familiar. She pointed back to WrestleMania 39, where she faced Charlotte, and said that by the time WrestleMania 40 came around, she felt she had to match the level she delivered the year before. That history, she suggested, is part of why this new challenge feels so heavy.
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“And then also going off of last year, it was the same at WrestleMania 39 when I faced Charlotte. Then going into WrestleMania 40, I was like, I have to do just as well as I did the year before. Like I really have to,” Ripley said. “But now stepping in with someone that has only had limited experience within the wrestling industry compared to a lot of people on the show, I do have that pressure to kind of uplift her and bring her to a different level so we can go out there and we can make magic just like everyone expects from us.”
The matchup matters because it is being sold as one of the bouts fans have waited for, and because Ripley’s own track record at WrestleMania now hangs over it. Her remarks also put a spotlight on Cargill’s relative inexperience, turning the match into more than a title defense and more than a marquee booking. It becomes a test of whether Ripley can carry a high-profile opponent into a performance that lives up to the expectation around it.
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That is the tension inside the fight: Ripley is not just preparing to win. She is preparing to elevate Cargill on a night when the crowd will expect both women to deliver something memorable. For Ripley, the pressure is not a surprise. It is the assignment.
