While the women of WWE have taken several strides toward equality, some obstacles still remain in their path. During a recent interview with "Jazzys World TV," former WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley opened up about challenges that women, including herself, have specifically faced in WWE, a traditionally male-dominated pro wrestling company.
Advertisement"Being taken for granted," Ripley said. "The women in WWE, we've come a very, very long way. We've overcome a lot of obstacles that were put in the way and it's been growing each and every year. I think that was the biggest obstacle — just getting people to take us seriously.
"For the longest time, people joked about us being the toilet break, which is just plain and disrespectful, especially when the women go out there and we leave everything that we have out in the ring. We go just as hard as the men do, so don't treat us with that disrespect. We're making people realize that we can go just as hard as the men and if not harder."
In general, Ripley points out that the women of WWE face another potential challenge when it comes to motherhood. With such a demanding schedule, Ripley believes the window for parenthood as a female WWE Superstar is a lot smaller than the average. Bringing children on the road also seems to be a tough task, according to Ripley, but looking at women like Becky Lynch, who remains a "badass" while also now being a mother, Ripley knows it's not impossible.
Advertisement"[Becky] is a great mother while she does that. She brings [her daughter] Roux on the road every now and then and she's absolutely killing it," Ripley said.