WWE Officials Impressed By 'Gritty Nature' Of Recent Rhea Ripley Match

After a dominant victory over Natalya at Night of Champions, WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley met the "Queen of Harts" in a rematch on the July 3 episode of "Raw." In comparison to their mere 70-second previous performance, this longer match time allowed both competitors to shine.

According to Fightful Select, many backstage officials were especially impressed by the "gritty nature" of the matchup, which featured several hard-hitting moments, including a corner headbutt from Ripley that left Natalya lying motionless on the mat.

Fightful reports that both competitors absorbed a "real beating" throughout the contest, both on offense and defense. This was particularly evident later on when Natalya locked Ripley in the Sharpshooter. As Ripley struggled to escape the submission, the camera panned to reveal that "The Eradicator" had sustained a bloody mouth. Ripley eventually crawled her way to the ropes to break the hold. With the momentum shifting in her favor, Ripley then landed a Riptide on Natalya to secure the win and retain her Women's World Championship. The physicality didn't stop there, though, as Ripley attacked Natalya after the match. Luckily for Natalya, that post-match assault was quickly halted as the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez arrived to save her.

Following her victory, Ripley tweeted a photo of some of the additional scratches she sustained from the grueling battle. Despite the physical scars, both competitors were reportedly happy with the match itself and the reaction they drew backstage and on social media.