WWE Legend Kevin Nash Believes Rhea Ripley Has Star Power to Redefine Women’s Wrestling
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash believes Rhea Ripley possesses a rare combination of athleticism, psychology, and star power that separates her from her peers and could potentially allow her to compete against male competitors.
Speaking on his “Kliq This” podcast with co-host Sean Oliver, Nash didn’t hold back his admiration for the current WWE Women’s World Champion.
“Rhea is so athletic. She looks like she could go against probably 50% of the male roster,” Nash stated. “I even wrote a note that said she can work the men’s division.”
The wrestling legend continued his praise, emphasizing Ripley’s complete package:
“She’s a star, man… It’s tough to put her in the ring… She’s super over. She’s super everything.”
Nash specifically highlighted Ripley’s selling ability—her talent for reacting to opponents’ offense—as a particularly rare skill in today’s wrestling landscape.
“I said a long time ago on this show that there’s so few people that sell and Rhea can sell. Like Rhea knows how to sell,” Nash explained.
The former nWo member also touched on the psychological aspects of Ripley’s matches, noting how her offense should be portrayed differently than her opponents’.
“A kick from Rhea to one of her opponents in this particular match should feel differently and be sold differently than a kick from Roxanne to Rhea,” he said. “All things are not equal. And I think that psychology has to creep into [the match].”
Nash’s appreciation extends beyond Ripley’s in-ring work.
“I’m not like an ink guy,” he noted, referring to Ripley’s tattoos, “but she pulls everything off.”
Perhaps most fascinating was Nash’s discussion of how Ripley projects a larger-than-life presence despite not being as physically imposing as she appears on television.
“I thought Rhea was like 6 foot, 185 pound girl and she’s probably 5’7,” Nash revealed. “But on TV, the way she moves, she comes across as bigger than life, which stars do.”
Nash compared this phenomenon to his early experience as a wrestling fan:
“I remember when I was a mark and I saw Hogan work and I swore Hogan was 6’9″ because he was just bigger than life, his charisma, everything else. And then when I finally met him, he was nowhere near that size.”
The WWE Hall of Famer drew further parallels to movie stars who have similar qualities:
“Across all genres too, you know. Stallone’s a tiny guy supposedly. Tom Cruise, they say, is small too.”
He also shared his personal experience meeting Ripley backstage:
“When I saw her at SummerSlam, she was just with no makeup on, everything. She’s quiet and she’s really chill.”
Nash’s comments suggest Ripley could be headed for an extended championship reign similar to Roman Reigns.
“It’s so hard because if you give the people what they want, which is Rhea’s the champion, then she’s now in a Roman spot. She’s going to have the thing for four years,” Nash predicted. “It’s that kind of situation where you’ve got to use her to elevate [others].”
While acknowledging Ripley’s dominance, Nash did mention a few wrestlers who could potentially match up with her.
“Although Bianca, I think someone like Bianca or I think Jade… I think Jade will get there. She’s still green, but she’s improving vastly.”
With such high praise from one of wrestling’s most respected minds, Ripley’s position as one of WWE’s cornerstone performers seems secure.
Nash’s analysis not only validates Ripley’s current status but suggests her ceiling might be even higher than previously thought—potentially including groundbreaking intergender competition that could redefine her legacy in professional wrestling.
