“MAMI” Rhea Ripley is the “ultra-aggressive and terrifyingly strong” Aussie making history in the world of women’s WWE.
The metalhead ring star shocked fans an episode of Monday Night Raw when she announced she would be out of action for months.
Who is Rhea Ripley?
“Mami” Rhea Ripley, real name Demi Bennett, is an Australian professional wrestler.
Born on October 11, 1996, in Adelaide, South Australia, the ring star is known for her metalhead costumes.
Her signature move is called the “Riptide” and Ripley’s latest career move saw the formidable athlete join Monday Night Raw.
She began competing in the sport in 2013 with Riot City Wrestling in Australia, before being invited to audition for WWE.
Unfortunately, when they discovered she was only 19, the opportunity was retracted as their minimum age is 21.
This didn’t stop the promising young star, who went on to tour around her home country and Japan for the next four years.
She earned herself the title of RCW’s women’s champion in 2014 and 2016 before finally signing with WWE in 2017.
After losing in the Mae Young Classic competition the following year, Ripley transferred to the NXT UK brand where she made history as the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion two years running.
By 2019, the athlete was featuring in main roster WWE events.
In 2023 Ripley became the first woman to win a Royal Rumble match after entering at position one and defeating all 29 other contestants.
Since winning WrestleMania 39, the popular Aussie has dominated the women’s division with some stunning title defences against the likes of Natalya, Raquel Rodriguez and Zoey Stark.
The Adelaide star’s rise has seen her amass a strong fanbase with 1million followers on Twitter alone.
Her official website describes her as: “A standout in the WWE Performance Center and the Mae Young Classic, Rhea Ripley entered NXT UK already a seasoned and cutthroat grappler with one goal on her mind, to rip the NXT UK Women’s division apart.
“The ultra-aggressive and terrifyingly strong Aussie embraced her true self, and that has spelled bad news for anyone who faces her, as she already had the physical goods to stand toe-to-toe with any Superstar in sports-entertainment.”
Who is Liv Morgan?
Liv Morgan is a WWE superstar and a real fan-favorite.
She’s a former tag team world champion and remains one of the biggest draws around.
Ripley took Morgan down in July 2023 and has been gunning for revenge ever since.
After her opponent’s shoulder injury, Morgan issued a harsh warning on the show and said: “Everyone is mad at me, and for what? I’m not the bad guy here.
“Where was the sympathy for me when Rhea literally tore my shoulder out of my socket and put me on the shelf for eight months.
“Oh yeah, there wasn’t any. So you know what? Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a shoulder for a shoulder. This is karma at its very finest.
“Rhea got exactly what she deserved. Do you want to know what the best part is? This isn’t the end of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.
“This is just the beginning. Because the end is Liv Morgan as your women’s world champion.”
Morgan’s WWE dream was originally sparked in the backyard of her family home in New Jersey.
She said: “I watched wrestling for the first time when I was five years old, and fell in love immediately.
“I am just thankful and grateful that I was able to make my dream come true.”
Joe DeFranco, a world-renowned strength and conditioning coach, brought her into the gym and put her through her paces alongside NFL stars gearing up for the new season.
She admitted: “I didn’t even know how to work out, and I told him that I love WWE and I wanna be a WWE superstar.
“I thought I was going be a natural because I grew up a lifelong fan but it took me so long to get the hang of anything.
“So, when I started training, it just felt surreal.
“I knew the opportunity I had in front of me, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that I was going home with a contract.”
The first time Liv wrestled professionally was in 2014.
But after 10 successful years in the industry, Liv is looking at expanding her career moves.
She had a cameo in a film with Kill Bill star Uma Thurman and also appeared in her favorite show, where she was murdered by one of her childhood heroes.
And, a blockbuster, crossover clash with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion is in the cards.
What happened to Rhea Ripley and has she vacated the WWE Women’s World Championship?
Ripley bowed out of the WWE Women’s World Championship on Monday, April 15, 2024, after suffering a shoulder injury.
The athlete will now be forced to take a break from the sport for months.
It has been reported the incident happened during Ripley’s clash with Liv Morgan.
Morgan took down her opponent, launching a chair at her and smashing her into a wall, where it is believed Ripley sustained the shoulder injury.
The WWE star acknowledged the ordeal in the latest Monday Night Raw and confirmed she will be gone for “quite a few months”.
She vowed: “When I come back, I’m coming back for blood.”
Ripley may now be forced to give up her title belt after earning it at WrestleMania 39.
It came less than two weeks after Ripley took down“The Man” Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40.