Shawn Michaels Recognizes Rhea Ripley's Unique Talent, Discusses Comparisons to Chyna

When discussing the comparisons between Rhea Ripley and Chyna, Shawn Michaels acknowledged that Chyna was a trailblazer who broke the mold in women's wrestling, changing fans' expectations.

Michaels also expressed his admiration for Ripley, emphasizing that he recognized her talent and potential from the moment he entered NXT. Michaels stated that Ripley was one of his favorites and that he was eager to be a part of her career, appreciating her as a special and exceptional talent in her own right.

"Chyna was one of the rare and unique people. I think she changed the face of women’s wrestling in a big way. So I guess I’ll always kind of be biased in respect to Chyna. I think she was unlike any others before her. But look, Rhea is absolutely one of my favorites. I knew it from the day I walked in to NXT that you could see that she was something special, and [I] wanted to do everything that I could to do be a part of her career. When she started out with us in NXT UK, I’m just telling you, you could see her grow, you could see her confidence grow, watch her evolve and just turn into a fantastic performer, and then came over here to NXT and continued that ascension. So I’m not surprised one bit by her success on the main roster, and she’s still so very young. She’s going to surpass certainly, respectfully, anything that Chyna accomplished, but I don’t think that will ever take away from what Joanie contributed to the WWE and this sport in general."