UPDATE: 2024/01/02 13:28 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

“The Nightmare.” “The Eradicator.” Rhea Ripley. Whatever name you call her, there is no doubt that she is one of the very best in the world of professional wrestling right now. With numerous accolades to her name, Ripley took over 2023 in a way very few did. She has been dominating at the Women’s World Champion and as a member of Judgment Day. She is a face of a generation and will certainly be entertaining fans for years to come as one of WWE’s biggest names today. With all of this said, let’s get to learn more about one of WWE’s brightest stars.

2023 was the year of Rhea Ripley in WWE. The Judgment Day member started off strong when she won the 2023 women’s Royal Rumble match, allowing her the opportunity for a title match of her choosing at WrestleMania 39. After defeating Charlotte Flair, Ripley has gone on to be a mainstay and one of the most featured parts of WWE television. Whether she is defending her WWE Women’s World Championship or aiding Judgment Day in their endeavors, fans cannot get enough of her.

Ripley is certainly one of the biggest names within this current generation of talent in professional wrestling. She will almost definitely continue to be one of the most valued assets in WWE going forward and for years to come.

Rhea Ripley Is The Inaugural WWE Women’s World Heavyweight Champion

She Had Defeated Charlotte Flair To Become SmackDown Women's Champion

  • Rhea Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39.
  • She is the only woman to have held that title to date.
  • It is the same design as the World Heavyweight Title, just with a white strap.

After emerging victorious against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39, Rhea Ripley’s reign as SmackDown Women’s Champion began. It wasn’t long though until she was drafted over to Raw. To avoid the same criticism and controversy of the title exchanges of the past, WWE opted to introduce newly named belts. Rhea Ripley was therefore crowned as the new and first ever Women’s World Heavyweight Champion, which is a white-strapped version of Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Title, which takes influence from the old “big gold” World Heavyweight Championship, with a WWE logo slapped in the middle.

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She Is A Triple Crown & Grand Slam Champion

Rhea Ripley Has Held Every Major Title Available To Her In WWE

Rhea Ripley with Dominik Mysterio
  • 1x RAW Women's Champion.
  • 1x SmackDown Women's Champion.
  • 1x WWE Women's Tag Team Champion.

Rhea Ripley may still only be quite young at 27 years of age, but she is already wildly successful in WWE and has plenty of titles in her locker. She is the seventh women’s WWE Triple Crown Champion, winning the Raw, SmackDown, and Women’s Tag Titles.

She is also the fifth ever women’s WWE Grand Slam Champion too, winning the Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and Women’s Tag Team Championships. She joins lists including the likes of Bayley, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Ronda Rousey.

Rhea Ripley Is Engaged To Buddy Matthews

The Two Have Been Engaged Since August 2023

  • The WWE and AEW wrestlers began dating in 2022.
  • Matthews currently wrestles for AEW as a member of the House of Black.
  • They have been engaged since 2023.

Rhea Ripley’s relationship with fellow Aussie Buddy Matthews is no secret, as the pair are open about things online. The pair used to work under the same banner in WWE, though this changed when Matthews left for AEW, debuting in 2022.

This has clearly not gotten in the way of their relationship.

She Has Close Friendships With Other Wrestlers

Ripley Has Often Posted Alongside Her Friends In The Business

Rhea Ripley, Damian Priest and Riddle by the pool Cropped
  • She is close with her Judgment Day members.
  • Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest became close in NXT.
  • She is close with Zelina Vega.

Behind the scenes, some wrestlers can be best friends with both their tag team partners and their bitter enemies. In the case of Ripley, she is close friends with Damian Priest, who is one of her fellow Judgment Day members. Ripley and Priest bonded in NXT and often push each other to improve.

Ripley is also close friends with the likes of Zelina Vega, Dominik Mysterio and more.

Rhea Ripley Is A Royal Rumble Winner

She Won The 2023 Women's Royal Rumble

  • She entered the match at number one and had the most eliminations in the match with 7 total.
  • She eliminated Liv Morgan to win.
  • Ripley challenged Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39.

Rhea Ripley has steadily become one of the most notable names in WWE. Things kicked off in January as she became the first woman and only fourth wrestler ever to enter a Royal Rumble at number one and go the distance to win.

Ripley put in one hell of a performance at the Rumble and looked like a huge star whilst doing so. She last eliminated Liv Morgan to win the match, earning a spot at WrestleMania 39 for a championship of her choosing. She ended up defeating Charlotte Flair at the "Showcase of the Immortals."

She Was WWE’s First Female Australian Champion In History

She Won The NXT UK Women's Title

Rhea Ripley UK And NXT Champ Cropped
  • No Australian had won a WWE Title prior.
  • Ripley began her career in NXT UK.
  • She was the inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion.

The first ‘W’ in WWE stands for ‘World’, however by 2018 no female competitor from Australia had ever held a WWE title, in fact, she is one of the very few Australian performers to have been in WWE at all. During her time in NXT UK where she won the Women’s Title, she made history.

For many Australian WWE fans, this will signal a huge steppingstone in potentially more talents getting a shot, and she will have surely filled the dreams of many aspiring young Australians who want to follow in her footsteps.

Rhea Ripley Loves Dragon Ball Z

Ripley Has Worn Gear Inspired By The Show

Rhea Ripley At WrestleMania 36
  • WrestleMania 36 saw her sport Vegeta-inspired gear.
  • She wrestled in front of no fans at that WrestleMania.
  • Many professional wrestlers are fans of anime.

Amongst all of Ripley’s hobbies and passions, Dragon Ball Z is one that has made its way into her wrestling career. At Wrestlemania 36, her ring gear was inspired by Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z. The white, blue, and gold attire would’ve made a huge mark on a jam-packed stadium, but was unfortunately confined to the Performance Center, due to the pandemic.

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With her having plenty of years left in the wrestling industry, fans will no doubt see other influences into her wrestling gear, with Dragon Ball Z having a plethora of inspiration for both color scheme and design.

She Cut Her Hair Because Of Toni Storm

Fans Had Confused Ripley And Storm

Rhea Ripley vs Toni Storm
  • Ripley adopted her signature look after being compared to Storm.
  • The two were rivals in NXT UK.
  • Ripley defeated Storm to become the first NXT UK Women's Champion.

Anyone who saw Rhea Ripley in the first Mae Young Classic would be shocked to see the transformation into what she looks like today. Back then, Ripley had longer hair and wore generic ring gear. During her battles with Toni Storm in NXT UK, some fans made the observation that the two women looked quite similar, with both having long blonde hair.

To branch out and differentiate herself from these comparisons, Ripley decided to cut her hair much shorter, and began wearing different gear. With this newly designed Ripley came a new attitude and confidence which she has carried through to the present day.

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Beth Phoenix Is Her Dream Opponent

A Singles Match Between The Two Has Never Happened

Edge & Beth Phoenix v Finn Balor & Rhea Ripley Elimination Chamber 2023 Cropped
  • Phoenix is a WWE Hall of Famer.
  • She is a three-time WWE Women's Champion.
  • The two fought in a mixed-tag team match at Elimination Chamber 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Every professional wrestler will have one name from wrestling’s past or present that they would love to work with in a dream match. For Ripley, that person is WWE Hall of Famer, Beth Phoenix. During the Divas era, Phoenix was presented as one of the more legitimate competitors, and she was certainly a highlight during that period.

While a singles match between the two never happened, they did do battle in a mixed tag team match at the Elimination Chamber PLE in 2023. Phoenix teamed with Edge (known as Adam Copeland in AEW) to face Ripley and Finn Bálor of the Judgment Day. Phoenix and Edge were victorious on that night.

Her Real Name Is Demi Bennett

She Began Using The Name Rhea Ripley In WWE

Rhea-Ripley-Womens-World-Champion
  • She used her real name on the independent circuit.
  • She started going by Rhea Ripley after signing with WWE.
  • The Rhea Ripley name perfectly fits her gimmick.

It's no secret that professional wrestlers use different ring names, and that they have lives outside the business. With the ring name, a wrestler portrays a particular character. Sometimes, wrestlers opt to keep either their first or last name in the ring name, but Ripley didn't take that route.

Rhea Ripley's birth name is Demi Bennett. After signing for WWE, she adopted her current ring name and has stuck with it ever since. Needless to say, her ring name, Rhea Ripley, is quite catchy and perfectly suits her gimmick.

Rhea Ripley Is A Natural Blonde

Ripley Has Undergone A Tremendous Transformation In WWE

Rhea Ripley blonde
  • She began her WWE career with long blonde hair.
  • Her look changed after comparisons to Toni Storm.
  • Ripley's look has become iconic.

From her first day in WWE to today, Rhea Ripley has gone through a drastic transformation and has experimented with her look, especially her hair. From having decently long hair when she started out, to her shorter cut today, Rhea Ripley has changed things up as per the demands of her character.

While Rhea has semi-blonde hair now, she sported brunette hair during her NXT days. But Ripley isn't naturally brunette, as she is a natural blonde in real life.

She Was The First NXT UK Women's Champion

Ripley Defeated Toni Storm To Become The First-Ever Champion

Rhea Ripley NXT UK Women's Champion Cropped
  • She was the inaugural title holder.
  • She held the title for 139 days.
  • Toni Storm was the one to end her reign.

While Paige made history by becoming the first-ever NXT Women's Champion, Rhea Ripley earned the same honor by winning the maiden NXT UK Women's Championship back in 2018. She won the UK Women's Championship tournament by beating New Zealander, Toni Storm, in the final.

Following the title tournament win, she held onto the gold for 139 days, before dropping the title to Storm, who finally got the better of "The Nightmare", in what was a thrilling, intense match from start to finish.

Rhea Ripley Was In A Relationship With Demitri Jackson

Demitri Jackson Is Also A Professional Wrestler

Rhea Ripley Demitri Jackson
  • He made appearances on AEW Dark.
  • Jackson has a degree in Sports and Exercise Science.
  • They broke up a few years ago.

It's common for a wrestler to date other wrestlers. Rhea Ripley was also in a relationship with a professional wrestler, whose name is Demitri Jackson. The couple broke up a couple years ago.

Demitri Jackson currently wrestles in the independent circuit. While he might not have made it to WWE yet, he wrestled in AEW dark matches. Demitri holds a degree in Sports and Exercise Science.

She Is 27 Years Old

Her Birthday Is October 11, 1996

Rhea Ripley Women's World Champion Raw July 10, 2023 Cropped
  • She is one of the younger members of the WWE roster.
  • Ripley began wrestling at 17.
  • She was signed to WWE at 21.

Rhea Ripley has achieved a lot at a very young age. She started wrestling at the age of 17, performing in different independent promotions. When she landed her WWE contract, she was 21 years old.

After thriving in both NXT UK and NXT for three years, Rhea Ripley graduated from the developmental brand and debuted on the main roster. Currently, she is only 27 years old, making her one of the youngest wrestlers on the roster. She can easily be a main event fixture for the next 15 years. It isn't too often that younger talents win huge titles, but Ripley is one of them, with a World Title to her name already.

Rhea Ripley Stands Tall At 5'9"

Ripley Is One Of The Most Dominant Forces In WWE

Rhea Ripley WWE Women's World Champion Cropped
  • Ripley is one of the most dominant names in WWE.
  • She is one of the tallest women on the roster.
  • Ripley can battle the best WWE has to offer.

Rhea Ripley is an amazing wrestler, who shows immense power in the ring and manages to lift other women with ease. She is well-built and has impressive muscle mass.

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She is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs in at 140 pounds. She is one of the most dominant and imposing athletes in the women's division. Not only can she match powerhouses like Tamina for strength, she can work a quicker style to keep up with the likes of Liv Morgan too.

She Has An Athletic Background

Ripley Has Played A Variety Of Sports

Rhea-Ripley=Womens-World-Champion

Rhea Ripley is definitely one of the most athletic women in the WWE women's division. She can pull off high-risk moves with ease. Besides her impressive stature, she is extremely agile in the ring.

Ripley's athleticism in the squared circle comes from her athletic background. She used to play different sports such as rugby, soccer, swimming, and martial arts. All of that training has certainly helped her out in the squared circle as well.

Participated In The Mae Young Classic Twice

It Was Her Start In WWE

Rhea Ripley Mae Young Classic
  • She had gained momentum on the indies.
  • She debuted at the 2017 tournament.
  • Ripley lost in 2018 in the semi-finals to IYO SKY.

Rhea Ripley's first big break in WWE was through the Mae Young Classic tournament, which welcomed top female talents from all over the world. After earning some notoriety in different independent promotions in Australia, Rhea Ripley participated in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament back in 2017.

In the first Mae Young Classic tournament, she didn't progress beyond the second round after losing to Dakota Kai. Next year, Ripley gave a stellar performance to reach the semi-finals. She was beaten at that stage by IYO SKY. The Mae Young Classic was a way for WWE to further legitimise their women's division.

She Loves Rock And Heavy Metal Music

The Music She Loves Has Influenced Her Look

  • Many WWE stars have been open about their love for rock and heavy metal.
  • Ash Costello played her to the ring at WrestleMania 37.
  • She has incorporated her love of the genre into her look.

Heavy metal and rock music have a great influence on the world of professional wrestling. Whether in the past or present, many heavy metal, as well as rock bands, have lent their songs to WWE Superstars. From Triple H to The Undertaker to Edge, many such legendary names are known to be fans of this music genre.

As if one couldn't tell by her look, Ripley is a big fan of these music genres as well, and she has mentioned that her mental toughness comes from her preferred music. A prime example of it was seen at WrestleMania 37, when Ash Costello performed her entrance music.

The Miz Is Her Idol

She Has Always Been A Fan Of The Awesome One

rhea-ripley-miz-cutout.jpeg
  • She said The Miz was her inspiration.
  • Many wrestlers have expressed their favorites in the past.
  • Ripley and The Miz are both on RAW.

Every WWE wrestler gets inspired by a particular Superstar while growing up. Eddie Guerrero is Mercedes Moné's idol, Randy Savage is Bayley's idol, Lita is Liv Morgan's idol, and the list goes on. Similarly, Rhea Ripley also has a wrestling idol.

Ripley's idol isn't any Superstar from the past but an active Superstar. She has cited the former WWE Champion The Miz as her inspiration, stating as such in an interview with Under The Ring. She must be quite excited about the fact that they are currently on the same show.