"They never explain any of these things" - Rhea Ripley has fallen into a trap because of WWE ahead of WrestleMania, fears veteran (Exclusive)
There aren't many superstars currently in WWE with the kind of momentum Rhea Ripley has at the moment. While Ripley is involved in some prominent angles heading into Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania, Vince Russo explained why the 26-year-old star had found herself in a trap due to her character.
Since adopting a goth-inspired heel gimmick, Ripley has grown in stature in WWE as her dominance in the women's division has even been compared to the late, great Chyna by several fans and pundits.
Ripley has been one of the standout members of Judgment Day; however, Vince Russo revealed that WWE has not done a good job explaining her gimmick change over the past few months. Ripley's introduction into the Judgment Day faction seemingly came out of nowhere back at WrestleMania Backlash when she helped Edge defeat AJ Styles.
Russo found it odd that Rhea Ripley underwent a massive transformation on TV overnight and called out WWE's creative team for not putting more time and creative effort into repackaging the Australian superstar.
Here's what the former writer had to say on this week's Legion of RAW:
"To me, Rhea Ripley falls into the same trap, and I think this is the problem I have, and we saw it again on tonight's show. She falls into the trap of what we see over and over again in the WWE. How did Rhea Ripley go from an attractive, athletic wrestler from the land down under into this goth person? There was no explanation. There was no story. She wasn't kidnapped by Judgment Day. She didn't go through any type of ritual. One day she is Rhea Ripley; next week, she is goth Rhea Ripley." [From 4:00 onwards]
Vince Russo even mentioned the likes of Nikki Cross and Asuka as talents who've faced a similar ordeal wherein WWE has been inconsistent with their on-screen personas.
"Am I supposed to believe that Rhea Ripley is goth just because she blacks out her eyes?" - Vince Russo
The outspoken wrestling personality played a pivotal role in shaping several iconic characters during the Attitude Era and was familiar with how well they could be presented to the audience.
Russo said that there needed to be a strong reason for a superstar to go on a different creative path, which he hadn't seen in Rhea Ripley's case within WWE. Vince feels that the Triple H-led company has always had trouble setting up an effective character change.
"If a wrestler is going to change gimmick, there has got to be a reason. Am I supposed to believe that Rhea Ripley is goth just because she blacks out her eyes? No bro. There has got to be a reason for it. And that's why I felt the way I did. The WWE, bro, they have a horrible problem explaining character changes." [5:30 - 6:00]
Vince Russo noted that the promotion probably faces the same issues on SmackDown as he's heard about the alleged mishandling of Lacey Evans on the blue brand.
The 61-year-old went back to his viewpoint regarding Ripley and clarified that he wasn't against her goth character and wished to get more backstory on her new attitude.
Vince added:
"I don't even watch SmackDown; from what I'm reading, Lacey Evans has gone through 18 character changes. Bro, they have a horrible track record. I just want to make myself clear when all of a sudden, she is a young, attractive, athletic, down-under wrestler, and now she is a goth princess. Bro, you've got to explain that to me." [6:00 -6:39]
Do you agree with Vince Russo's opinion on Rhea's gimmick? Sound off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the above quotes, please give a H/T to Sportskeeda and embed the YouTube video.