Pic Credit: Rhea Ripley (Instagram)
Rhea Ripley is the most recognized female personality on the WWE roster today, starting her WWE career in 2017. The Australian Superstar pursued to be a professional wrestler at the age of 17, beginning her independent wrestling career before receiving the big break for the Stamford-based promotion.
Rhea Ripley’s popularity has skyrocketed over the last few years, especially since her debut on the main roster. Mami’s unconventional gothic look, irresistible aura, and inconceivable strength in the ring make her stand out. In her WWE career, she is already a Grand Slam Women’s Champion, capturing all the active women’s titles in WWE.
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With a run of 380 days, Ripley is a joint-holder in the World Women’s Championship alongside Bayley. Additionally, she is a Women’s Tag Team Champion and a former Royal Rumble winner.
Before her main roster debut, Rhea Ripley was among the noteworthy names in the development brand. Have a look at some achievements of Rhea Ripley before the WWE main roster debut dated back in 2021.
5) Rhea Ripley competed in Mae Young Classic Tournament
Rhea Ripley first signed for WWE in 2017. Following her signing, she was put in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament, which was built to find the next big female stars of WWE.
She debuted in WWE and Mae Young Classic under the current ring name Rhea Ripley for the first time. In her first appearance for WWE, the Terror Twins member defeated Miranda Salinas in the first round, before getting eliminated by her future colleague Dakota Kai in the second round.
4) RCW Women’s Champion
Prior to the big WWE break in 2017, Rhea Ripley earned a name in her home country’s wrestling circuit. She wrestled in the Australian independent circuit for several years. She performed for Riot City Wrestling Down Under.
Wrestling for Riot City Wrestling or RCW, Rhea Ripley won the RCW Women’s Championship two times in her independent career. In addition, she wrestled for Melbourne City Wrestling or MCW, where she once wrestled her future in-ring adversary and the current AEW star Toni Storm.
Her four-year independent career was one of the highlights of the career of Rhea Ripley before WWE. Unlike the gothic and dark hair look she presently has, she sported blonde hair and a girl-next-door look.
3) Inaugural NXT UK Women’s Champion
Prior to gracing the ring of WWE’s main roster, Rhea Ripley was in NXT UK, which is a defunct brand now. Initially, The Eradicator wrestled for the WWE’s developmental brand in the United Kingdom instead of the United States, building the indomitable gothic persona she portrays on the screen today.
She had considerable success in the developmental brand of the WWE in the United Kingdom, engaging in an incredible feud with Toni Storm. She was the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion, and Storm dethroned her, ending the reign at 139 days.
2) Former NXT Women’s Champion
After conquering the developmental brand in the United Kingdom, Rhea Ripley was transferred to the US version of the brand in 2019, beginning her first feud with the NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler. Backed by her impressive resume, Ripley led team NXT to victory at Survivor Series 2019.
Moreover, she won the NXT Women’s Championship from Shayna Baszler, making her the first woman to win the developmental brand’s premium women’s championships in the US and UK. Winning the NXT Women’s Championship was among her greatest achievements in the squared circle for Rhea Ripley before WWE’s main roster career.
1) Rhea Ripley Wrestled At WrestleMania Before Making Official Main Roster Debut
In 2020, a year before her main roster debut, Rhea Ripley did something that a legion of WWE stars yearns to do. She was one of the few names in WWE history to entrench her name in the WrestleMania card as a NXT star. The opportunity came in when Mami was the NXT Women’s Champion.
Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble match in 2020. Instead of going for either of the Women’s titles, she decided to go after then NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, setting up a mega clash at WrestleMania 36.
The match took place on the second day of WrestleMania 36. Showing unerring chemistry and valor against a veteran like Charlotte Flair, Ripley was remarkable in her first match at the Grandest Stage of Them All. Mami lost the match and the belt to The Queen.
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Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
