WWE title holder is not on Rhea Ripley's level, Jim Cornette claims

Rhea Ripley has been one of WWE's top main roster stars in recent years. Jim Cornette, a legendary wrestling booker and manager, thinks Stephanie Vaquer must improve to reach the Aussie's level.

On September 20, Vaquer defeated IYO SKY at Wrestlepalooza to win the vacant Women's World Championship. The 32-year-old secured the victory with an acrobatic Spiral Tap move from the top rope.

Despite Vaquer's title win, Cornette said on Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru that he still views Ripley as the top female star on RAW.

"It was a wonderful f***ing flippy thing off the top rope. I wouldn't have been lying there underneath that thing. There was not very much margin for error at all, but I don't think Rhea Ripley has to watch out for anything unless Stephanie Vaquer suddenly learns how to f***ing act like a movie star and cut a goddam incredible promo."

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Ripley made her WWE debut in 2017 as a Mae Young Classic participant. The 28-year-old's career reached new heights when she became part of The Judgment Day in 2022. Since leaving the faction in 2024, she has established herself as one of the company's most popular singles talents.

Why Jim Cornette rates Rhea Ripley higher than Stephanie Vaquer

Throughout her WWE career, Rhea Ripley has been widely viewed as one of the best in-ring performers in the industry. She has also been involved in promo segments with some of the company's biggest names, including Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio.

While Jim Cornette thinks wrestling talent is important, he also believes Stephanie Vaquer and others need to be compelling on the microphone.

"This is wrestling. We need to want to see you fight, not just go out and hop around. Everybody's doing that these days. But that was my summation of [IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer], I'm sorry. I'm sure it was [a good match]. Why do I care?"

Cornette also elaborated on why he did not watch Vaquer's Women's World Championship win over SKY.

Please credit Jim Cornette's Drive Thru and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart