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Rhea Ripley Didn't Think She'd Be Able To Work WrestleMania 41

Mami may always come out on top in the ring, but sometimes her back makes her job very difficult.
Rick Ucchino|
Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley | WWE.com

Rhea Ripley participated in arguably the best match of the entire weekend during WrestleMania 41 this past April.

The Nightmare tore the house down with IYO SKY and Bianca Belair in a triple threat match for the Women's World Championship, but Ripley apparently had some serious doubts as to whether she'd be able to work the show due to ongoing back problems.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Ripley said she's been dealing with lower back pain for some time now, dating back to a match she had with Raquel Rodriguez in NXT.

"She gave me the back body drop onto the announcement table but we undershot it and I hit the very edge of the table. Like, right on my lower back and after that, my lower back was just never the same," Ripley said. "I do whatever I can to try and make it better. I have our masseuse, Matthew, come over and he works on it, he helps stretch me out and puts my hips back in line pretty much."

Ripley said the pain became so bad in the days leading up to WrestleMania 41 that she needed multiple sessions with Matthew to be able to get in the ring that weekend.

"The two nights beforehand, I got Matthew to come to my room and he worked on me the night before Hall of Fame and the night of Hall of Fame. I was like, ‘I need you to make sure I can walk tomorrow,’ and he worked on me those two nights and it loosened completely just in time for the match."

Rhea said she's not entirely sure what the issue in her back is, whether it's a sciatic nerve issue or some other problem all together. She did admit that she has to do better of stretching herself out on a regular basis to stay loose.

Mami will put her back to the test again this Saturday when she takes on Raquel Rodriguez in a Street Fight at WWE Night of Champions.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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