Rhea Ripley’s Riptide has become one of WWE’s most recognizable finishers, and now she’s explaining how it came together.
While speaking to ESPN, Ripley said the move started while she was training with Tegan Nox, with Shane Haste suggesting different moves for her to try.
“I was just trying things. I was practicing with Tegan Nox, and Shane Haste was feeding me different moves to try.”
Ripley said Haste suggested the pumphandle slam, and once she tried it, she immediately liked how it felt. At first, Ripley performed the move as a sit-out version, but she eventually changed it because it was too painful and she worried about long-term damage.
“He was like, ‘Try the pumphandle slam,’ and I was like, ‘Okay.’ I tried it and thought, ‘That’s really cool.’ I used it for a bit going into the Mae Young Classic and then NXT UK. At first, I would sit out with it—that was how I did it for a while—but my butt just hurt too much. I was like, ‘I can’t do this. This is going to mess up my back later on.’ So I started dropping to my knees instead.”
The WWE Women’s Champion credited Haste for helping spark the idea, making it clear the Riptide came from experimenting in training: “That’s how it all came to life. It was really Shane Haste’s idea.”
The Riptide has since become a major part of Ripley’s presentation, giving her a finisher that fits her power-based style while still standing out from the rest of WWE’s women’s division.
Do you think the Riptide is one of the best finishers in WWE today? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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