Rhea Ripley Reveals Ideal Opponent for WrestleMania 41 Showdown in Las Vegas

As WWE gears up for WrestleMania 41, fans are buzzing about the possible matchups that could steal the show. Scheduled for April 19th and 20th, 2025, this edition of the Showcase of the Immortals is set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada—WWE’s second time hosting the event in “Sin City” since WrestleMania IX at Caesar’s Palace. One star who’s been making headlines with her WrestleMania aspirations is former WWE Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley.

During a recent appearance at a Fanatics live event, Ripley joined the UpUpDownDown crew and answered some burning fan questions, including which opponents she’d love to face at WrestleMania. The rowdy crowd tossed out a few names, but Ripley had her eyes set on a familiar competitor: Bianca Belair.

“I’ve been seeing a lot of people predicting things on X,” Rhea said. “I have seen Iyo [Sky], I have seen Liv [Morgan], which I don’t really want that to continue but whatever, and then there’s also Bianca [Belair], who’s someone that I’ve wanted to face at WrestleMania for a very long time, so I’m going to have to go with Bianca.”

Ripley and Belair are no strangers to each other, having clashed in numerous battles in WWE. From tag team encounters to a Gauntlet match, an Elimination Chamber, and even WarGames, the two powerhouse athletes have built a fierce rivalry. Ripley, however, believes that their next showdown should take place on WWE’s biggest stage—WrestleMania.

Ripley has faced Belair twice, coming out victorious both times. Their first encounter took place on the October 23, 2019 episode of WWE NXT, and their second match was a memorable NXT Women’s Championship defense at NXT TakeOver: Portland in February 2020. Now, the Nightmare is ready to make their third match the ultimate one—on the grandest stage of them all.

With Las Vegas set to host WrestleMania 41, it seems Ripley has her sights set on solidifying her legacy against The EST of WWE in what could be one of the most highly anticipated matches of 2025.