WWE's Rhea Ripley Thought 2020 Plans Would Play Out Differently

2020 was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Rhea Ripley, as she was riding high heading into WrestleMania 36 but shortly after found herself without the title. That led to some fantastic matches back in NXT though, including some great ones with Raquel Gonzalez, and then ultimately she would end up on Raw and then at WrestleMania 37 to claim a new title as Raw Women's Champion after defeating Asuka. Ripley opened up about how the year played out to TalkSport, and she admitted that she thought that the initial Charlotte Flair feud would last a little longer than it ultimately did.

"I didn't really know what the whole plan was for the rest of the year, but I thought it would last a lot longer than it did. I thought I'd be, in my mind, having matches with Charlotte for the majority of the year then possibly going to RAW or SmackDown and continuing things there. But, it didn't happen and I'm still really thankful I got that extra time in NXT because I got to do so much cool stuff. Like I got to wrestle one of my best friends, Raquel Gonzalez, and have epic matches," Ripley said.

"I'm still really thankful I got to stay and do my work there, but I definitely thought it was going to lead somewhere different," Ripley said.

Things ultimately worked out just fine for Ripley, and now things have come full circle, as that Flair feud has moved back into the spotlight.

"You just got to trust the process because even if you don't know what's going on, they always do," Ripley said. "It's wild to think we're back to where I was a year ago and I'm back into something with Charlotte Flair. And it's cool to have Asuka there too. I think that's going to be magic."

As for her match against Gonzalez, which was the last match for Ripley in NXT, Ripley had wanted to face her friend in the ring for quite some time, and she's glad it ultimately worked out.

"I feel like it was already in the plans but I was also pushing for it a lot," Ripley said. "It was something I had wanted to do for a long time in NXT so I'm glad we were all on the same page with that."

What do you want to see next from Ripley in WWE? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things WWE with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!