[WATCH] Rare footage of Rhea Ripley prior to WWE surfaces on social media

A throwback video of RAW star Rhea Ripley has recently surfaced online during her time in Japan before she was signed with WWE.

Rhea Ripley is the reigning Women's World Champion and is scheduled to defend the title tonight on WWE RAW. The Eradicator will be putting the title on the line against veteran Natalya this week on the red brand. It is a rematch from their bout at Night of Champions in May, in which Natalya was defeated in under two minutes.

Ripley was not in action this past Saturday at Money in the Bank in London but was ringside to support Dominik Mysterio in his match against Cody Rhodes. The Judgment day member attempted to interfere during the match, but Cody was ready for it and defeated Dominik via pinfall after hitting the Cross Rhodes.

A wrestling fan on social media posted a throwback video of Mami in Japan. In the video, Ripley can be seen dancing around in the ring as the crowd cheered her on.

Rhea Ripley Loops

@ripleyloops

A little throwback of @RheaRipley_WWE in Japan

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A little throwback of @RheaRipley_WWE in Japan https://t.co/nEc1asrH63

Natalya claims Rhea Ripley is a generational WWE Superstar

Rhea Ripley has already established herself as one of the biggest stars in the company currently.

The 26-year-old avenged her loss to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36 and defeated The Queen to become the new SmackDown Women's Champion at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. She was recently presented with the new Women's World Championship by WWE official Adam Pearce and her reign as champion is off to a dominant start.

Natalya will once again be battling Ripley for the Women's World Championship tonight on RAW. In an earlier exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, the 41-year-old spoke about her loss to Ripley at WWE Night of Champions and claimed that Rhea is a generational talent.

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"It's funny because I lost so much sleep over that match. And honestly, it had a profound impact on me because when I was first told I was gonna be at Night of Champions facing off against Rhea Ripley, it was like a dream match because Rhea Ripley is like a generational talent," said Natalya. [4:10 - 4:35]

You can check out the full interview in the video below:

Beth Phoenix is a former rival of Rhea's and sent out a message ahead of Natalya's title match tonight on WWE RAW. It will be interesting to see who challenges the Women's World Champion next if Natalya is unable to pull off the upset tonight.

Have you enjoyed Rhea's reign as Women's World Champion so far? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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