Jade Cargill is getting ready for a major WrestleMania 42 match against Rhea Ripley, but she says Ripley wasn’t the opponent she originally wanted.
While speaking on the Joe Budden Podcast, Cargill explained that Charlotte Flair felt like the more natural choice because of the reactions they’ve received during past face-offs. She said the energy between her and Charlotte always felt bigger whenever they crossed paths.
“It was just, we’ve always teased Charlotte Flair since day one,” Cargill said while talking about her preferred WrestleMania opponent.
“And every time I had a face-to-face with this girl, we got a huge reaction. I’ve had maybe two face-offs with Rhea. The reaction, it was a total difference in reaction here. I would think that we’ll build more to Rhea because we don’t have history. Not saying Charlotte and I have history, but there’s been more of a reaction with Charlotte and I having attitude and yelling at each other than that.”
Even so, Cargill said she understands why WWE went with Ripley, saying the decision likely came down to business.
“I believe the reason why we went this route is because it’s more money that’s going to be made going against Rhea.”
Cargill also spoke about Ripley’s rise and said WWE played a major role in building her into the star she is today. She gave Ripley credit but pointed out that the company’s system helped shape her character over time.
“I want to say this. I want to say this… Yeah, she’s great. She’s great. But, however, she also is backed and always has been built by WWE. She came from the indies. Yes, she went to NXT. Her character has developed along the way. If you see how she looked when she first got into wrestling to now, it’s a huge transformation.”
She continued by explaining how WWE’s system pushes talent to improve and grow.
“But also the machine does that for you… It pushes you. It helps you try different things, you know, and she goes out there and she delivers every single time. So, you’re going to do nothing but invest more and more and more.”
Cargill then compared that to her own path into wrestling, saying she didn’t get the same type of traditional development before stepping into the spotlight. Her debut came in March 2021 on AEW Dynamite, where she competed in her very first match on national television.
“I’m raw… My first match ever was on TV. Like I just said, I didn’t go through the indies. I didn’t go through all the training. I didn’t do all that. My NXT was AEW.”
Now, just four years after that debut, Cargill is heading into WrestleMania 42 for one of the biggest matches of her career, facing Ripley on one of wrestling’s biggest stages.
Do you think Jade Cargill should have faced Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania instead of Rhea Ripley, or is Ripley the right choice for this match? Let us know what you think in the comments.