Rhea Ripley Reveals Rikishi’s Reaction to Her Bare B*tt Stinkface on Nia Jax

Back in March 224, during a WWE Live Show, Rhea Ripley did something that broke the internet. As she debuted a move from her arsenal that no one saw coming, the Stinkface. It all occurred when WWE held its Road to WrestleMania event in Springfield, Illinois.

The non-televised show featured several WWE superstars as a part of its card and surely provided several highlight-worthy moments, including the stellar moment starring world champion Rhea Ripley. The then Women’s World Champion faced Nia Jax in a head-to-head for the WWE Women’s World Championship.

Earlier, it was Nia Jax who tried to hit her opponent with a Stinkface. However, Ripley managed to hit a reversal and have Nia Jax on the receiving end of the move instead. As Ripley paid tribute to Rikishi by hitting the move that was once made famous by the Samoan. But did Rikishi accept the tribute? What did he think about the move?

Well, in a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Ripley provided the answer to the questions. When asked if she was contacted by Rikishi for using the move, she said that while she did not hear from the WWE Hall of Famer, she is glad by the fact that Rikishi mentioned the segment in an interview and even praised Ripley’s buttocks. She said, “I didn’t hear from him. But I saw that he did an interview & he mentioned it. And he said my butt was big, so that’s a plus.”

She also revealed that it was Jax’s idea that Ripley should hit the stinkface. She said, “Kind of…I think Nia was pretty down for it, though. Nia really wanted that stink face deep down inside. She really, really wanted it [laughs], so I’m gonna say it was Nia’s idea. She gave me those eyes, you know?” However, not everyone was happy to see Ripley hit the move. As a former Women’s World Champion had some strong words to share.

Becky Lynch strongly criticizes Rhea Ripley for using the Stinkface

In an interview with Steve Fall, Becky Lynch commented that she completely disapproves of Rhea Ripley using that move. The reason? Well, it reminds her in some ways of the time when women were not taken seriously within the wrestling industry. Lynch also claimed that she had long struggled to change that thinking and that Ripley only used it to satisfy the sexual fantasies of many men who were among the amateurs.

She said, “That just sucks that we’re talking about that. You know, like when I think of the amount of women that were at one stage, fighting against that treatment, like, that was what they were forced to do in two-minute matches. Maybe I’m just like stuffy and and jaded because this is the stuff that I had to fight against.”

The Man further added, “Of course, everybody loves it, and it’s cool and it’s edgy. But if I’m a little girl sitting in the crowd, and if I have my daughter, and she’s seeing that and she’s thinking that that’s what she needs to be if she’s a professional wrestler. And that’s the stuff that’s getting a reaction and if I’m a girl who’s grown up and wants to be a professional wrestler. And I see, oh well that’s the stuff that gets a reaction.” Well, it surely looks like Lynch has really strong opinions on the move. It would be fun to see if she ever uses this argument in the future when she returns and faces Ripley again. What do you think? Was it wrong of Ripley to use the move? Let us know in the comments.