WWE stars Rhea Ripley and Raquel Rodriguez both joined the promotion in the mid-2010s, getting their start within six months of one another. The two became fast friends, and eventually even had a run as tag team partners during their time in WWE NXT. Appearing on "Casual Conversation With The Classic," Rodriguez elaborated on her relationship with Ripley.

"I look at Rhea kind of like I look at my real-life sister, which is also a never-ending rivalry," Rodriguez said. "That's just what sisters do, you know? We fight, we make up, we fight, we make up, ... but at the end of the day, they're always there."

Rodriguez stated that she's watched Ripley "come into her own" over the last several years, especially since she first joined The Judgment Day. Ripley no longer has the support of that group behind her, but the WWE star still managed to capture the Women's World Championship from Liv Morgan earlier this year.

Looking back to the earlier days of her friendship with Ripley, Rodriguez recalled going with the younger wrestler to get her first tattoo, though Rodriguez already had several. Fast forward to today and Ripley has many tattoos across her body, but Rodriguez recalled Ripley getting scared of how painful the experience would be, causing Rodriguez to volunteer to get one first.

"Working with her is always, always, always, always going to be a pleasure of mine," Rodriguez said. "I'm so grateful that I get to have the opportunity to step into the ring with someone so young but so knowledgeable and so creative."

Ripley and Rodriguez last shared the ring on December 12, 2024, during an episode of "WWE Raw," with Ripley emerging victorious in the main event. Counting live events, multi-women matches, and everything else, the two wrestlers have shared the ring more than 50 times since 2017, including their stretch as tag team partners.