"I was able to overcome it": Rhea Ripley's dark journey to WWE superstardom

In the world of professional wrestling, few stories are as compelling as that of Rhea Ripley. Her journey from a determined young athlete in Australia to one of WWE's brightest and most intimidating superstars is a testament to her resilience, strength, and ability to overcome some deeply personal demons. 

Rhea Ripley, born Demi Bennett on October 11, 1996, in Adelaide, South Australia, had a passion for sports from a young age. She participated in various athletic activities, including swimming, karate, rugby, and soccer. But something changed when she watched a match between WWE legends and Ric Flair one day.

Ever since that fateful day, Ripley craved hard-contact sports and started to scratch that itch upon Riot City Wrestling (RCW) in her hometown. She made her in-ring debut in 2013 at the age of 16. Here she would start developing the basics of in ring work that would take her to the top.

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In 2017, Ripley's talent caught the attention of WWE scouts, and she was invited to participate in the inaugural Mae Young Classic. Although she didn't win, the exposure was invaluable. Shortly after, she joined WWE’s developmental brand, NXT UK, where she began to truly refine her persona.

She started out her career with a girl next door type look: fresh-faced with long blonde hair. Ripley’s preppy appearance around this time was spawned largely by what she felt WWE wanted from its female competitors and was “terrified about screwing up”. It was never her – Ripley was a goth and loved metal music.  

Image Credit: Screenshot YouTube @WWE

Speaking to the After The Bell podcast in 2024, Ripley said she had wanted to change her look for years, but was scared of the fallout from WWE executives. Each week, her hair would get a little shorter until she fully embraced the transformation. " I think I just finally started accepting who I was, and not caring what everyone else thought of me," she said. 

This transformation was not just about aesthetics; it was a reflection of her inner strength and determination to overcome personal and professional obstacles. Ripley revealed in 2023 to the New York Post podcast that she suffers from body dysmorphia and used to self harm.  

“I still feel myself slipping there from time to time, but I find that if I do look at the scars that I have from that time it helps me to remind myself that I've been through all of this, and I was able to overcome it.”

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“And I think that that’s really special in the way that I know that I can keep going and keep doing what I love, and I have people in my life that are going to help me overcome whatever I need to overcome at that point in time,” she said as reported by the Post.

Things have only moved up for Ripley since embracing her inner self. Her journey took a significant step forward when she made her main roster debut on WWE Raw in early 2021. She quickly established herself as a dominant force, capturing the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37 by defeating Asuka – the girl from Adelaide had reached the top!

Thanks to her ‘Mami’ character, Ripley has become an integral part of the WWE each week – not just the women’s division but the entire show. On-screen partner and wrestling royalty Dominik Mysterio even thinks she can start winning men’s titles like the Intercontinental Championship – such is her pull in the WWE.

"She is the No. 1 star right now. It doesn't compete – the fact that we beat the s--- out of people, we are bad guys and she continues to get cheered,” he told ESPN. 

“We're all getting booed, but then when it comes to her, she gets cheered and it's just because she's awesome, man. She's so good at what she does. There's no female right now in WWE that can touch her.  It's kind of cool to see that we're in this era right now where she's just so dominant," ESPN reported. 

Unfortunately, Ripley has been out of action since April 2024 after suffering a shoulder injury at Wrestlemania 40, which has resulted in her dropping her Women’s World Championship title – a title she had held for over a year.

Ripley has opted not to have surgery and is rehabbing her injury and fans should expect to see her until after Summer Slam in August, but her aim is to be back before the end of the year, The Sportster reported in June 2024.

Rumours are swirling that her return will be marked by a new look, and a new character ark – something akin to The Undertaker. Nobody knows quite what to expect, but bets are on that it's going to be a big return!

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