WWE: Rhea Ripley reveals real reason why she wants AJ Lee on her WarGames team

Rhea Ripley revealed why she wanted AJ Lee on her team for the Women's WarGames match at WWE Survivor Series 2025. The PLE will air live this Saturday night from Petco Park in San Diego, California.

Speaking on the RAW Recap show, The Eradicator praised AJ Lee and noted that she watched her growing up. Ripley added that she could see that Lee still loved the business when she competed at WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025.

“Growing up, I watched AJ Lee. I loved watching AJ Lee. She was one of my favorites, for sure. I thought she was amazing at what she did, especially for the size that she is. She's scrappy, she doesn't give up, and I liked that fire inside of her that I know she has. Seeing her come back and tag with her husband, CM Punk, against Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, I could see that fire was still there," she said.

The 29-year-old complimented AJ Lee on her career accomplishments and shared that she wanted her on the WarGames team because she is scrappy.

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"She really wasn't set up to accomplish that much, but she fought and she scratched and she clawed and she was determined and she got to the point that she got to. And that's what I want to see. And I know that it's there. And that's why I want her on my team. I want that scrappy. I want that fight," she added. [H/T: WrestlePurists]

Rhea Ripley, AJ Lee, IYO SKY, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair will be facing The Kabuki Warriors, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Becky Lynch in the Women's WarGames match this weekend.

Former WWE writer comments on Rhea Ripley's character

Wrestling veteran Vince Russo recently shared his thoughts on Rhea Ripley's character in WWE.

Speaking on Writing with Russo, the legend complained about the characters in the promotion not having layers. He named Rhea Ripley and WWE SmackDown star Damian Priest as examples and noted that the stars needed to have depth to their characters for there to be good storytelling.

"Who is Rhea Ripley? Who is Damian Priest? That is across the board. There are no layers to these characters. That's the beautiful thing - when characters have layers, you put them together and you can tell the best story. If everybody is just a wrestler, you're getting wrestling. That's it!"