WWE superstar reveals why she hates Rhea Ripley’s racy ‘pretzel’ pin

Rhea Ripley has left WWE fans gobsmacked by her so-called ‘pretzel pin’ but not everyone is happy to take it in the ring.

The former world champion has gone viral several times for the way she ends her matches, which often sees her pinning her opponents with their legs over their heads.

A lot of thirsty fans can’t get enough, but Zelina Vega exclusively told Metro why she would be glad to never experience it again.

Asked whose finisher hurts the most during WWE’s recent show in Manchester, she quipped: ‘Rhea – and Bianca’s too, but Rhea for sure, because then she just puts you with your legs over your head.

‘And it’s like, I can’t, I’m not flexible like that no more!’

Zelina hasn’t wrestled Rhea since May 2023, but the pair have faced off 23 times over the years, as well as a couple of Royal Rumbles together.

Zelina Vega has revealed which finisher hurts the most (Picture: WWE) She’s not a fan of taking Rhea Ripley’s Riptide – or the pin that often follows (Picture: WWE) Rhea has nickname it her ‘pretzel pin (Picture: WWE)

Elsewhere during our game, we also put the 34-year-old superstar on the spot and asked who has the worst fashion sense in the locker room.

She chose the Secret Hervice trio of Chelsea Green, Piper Niven and Alba Fyre, but still had some kind words for the group.

‘I mean, sometimes Chelsea does have a little cute fit every now and then, but suits all the time? No,’ she teased.

‘And it’s not like they don’t have the figure, you know what I’m saying? They could be looking out, showing you, but they decided to stay in the suits.

‘That’s their fault!’

Zelina picked the Sercret Hervice as the ‘worst dressed’ in WWE (Picture: WWE) The 34-year-old star won the Women’s United States Championship earlier this year (Picture: WWE)

Zelina has feuded with the trio on-screen this year, eventually beating Chelsea for the Women’s US Title, before losing the gold to Giulia seven matches later, in just her second defence.

‘You always want to do more because, you know, you’re a work horse at heart, and it’s just like, how can you not want to do more,’ she said of her two-month run with the gold.

And she revealed: ‘For me, I wanted to take it to AAA and to Stardom even, to NXT, to TNA, I wanted to! But again, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t gonna happen ever. It just wasn’t for that title, right?’

She insisted WWE ‘loved’ the pitch, but they had other ideas for the championship.

Zelina loves the ‘chemistry’ she and Giulia have in the ring (Picture: WWE) However, she wanted to do more with the US Title (Picture: WWE)

‘I think they just wanted to go in a different direction for now, which, isn’t a bad thing, because me and Giulia, we have awesome chemistry,’ she smiled.

‘I love wrestling her, and so who knows if it kind of turns back around again?’

WWE will be back in the UK and Europe in January 2026 for the first-ever Road to Royal Rumble tour, which includes SmackDown in Berlin and London on January 9 and 16 respectively, as well as Raw in Dusseldorf and Belfast (January 12 and 19).

Zelina loved being on the road for the recent UK and Europe tour (Picture: WWE) WWE will be back in town in January 2026 (Picture: WWE)

The tour will also roll into Leipzig, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Mannheim, Newcastle, Gdansk and Nottingham, and Zelina was full of praise for the European fans.

‘It’s something that you look forward to, because the crowd is so amazing all the time. It’s one thing to be doing shows in the States, and they’re kind of used to that,’ she pondered.

‘But out here, I feel like they just – whether it’s [the UK] or France, or really anywhere that we travel to, they’re so ready to give it their all and just prove that they’re the better audience.’

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