"Rhea will say I’m like a father figure to her" – Respected former WWE star names his two favorite students

Scotty 2 Hotty asked for and was granted his WWE release recently after five years as a trainer at the company. During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, the former WWE star said that Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez were his favorite students at the Performance Center.

Scott Garland has overseen the rise of many outstanding talents in NXT but felt he had played the most prominent role in the development of Ripley and Gonzalez as top female stars in the WWE.

The respected wrestler said that Rhea Ripley considers him a father figure, and he was delighted to see her and Gonzalez's success.

Scotty 2 Hotty even recalled that the former NXT Women's Champions were part of the last show he produced for the WWE and added that he could not have signed off on a more satisfying note:

"Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez... Those are the two that I feel like I helped the most. Talk about a reward; Rhea will say I'm like a father figure to her; how much better can it get than that? She was a 20-year old kid when she came in, and I've seen both her and Raquel grow up over the years. My last show that I produced for WWE was the WrestleMania on sale; the last segment was Rhea and Raquel standing in the stadium together; it can't be any better than that."

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Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez had one of the best WWE matches of 2021

Rhea Ripley's final match for NXT incidentally happened against Raquel Gonzalez as the two tore the house down at last year's New Year's Evil show.

The Last Woman Standing match was a fitting way to end Ripley's NXT run as the bout also featured in WWE's year-end rankings.

While Ripley has had a bumpy experience on the main roster, Gonzalez continues to be one of the elite talents in NXT's women's division. Ripley and Gonzalez could cross paths again in the future, and rest assured, Scotty 2 Hotty will indeed be watching on as a proud mentor.