For a long time now, Rhea Ripley has sat at the top of the WWE Women’s Division and it’s hard to find a match to her level given she’s holding the title for over a year. We could barely find a name for the bygone timespan who can dethrone her from her ongoing title reign but now she will be going up against Becky Lynch for the title.
Before her dominance began in the WWE, Rhea Ripley was initially introduced to the Women’s Roster via the Mae Young Classic tournament, several years ago. Back then she used to be a sweet innocent teenage girl from Australia having blonde hair with a lot of dreams in her eyes.
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But from 2018 onwards, the WWE Universe started to see a new version of Rhea Ripley unfolding before their eyes and this one was different from the previous one. She started sporting a shorter jet-black hairstyle and also started donning metal-inspired black ring gears clubbed with spikes and studs. Besides, Judgment Day’s MAMI also introduced a lot of inks around her body to bring a completely changed look around her.
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Rhea Ripley was inspired by Ruby Riott for changed looks
During a recent interview with BWGS Pod, Rhea Ripley opened up about this significant transformation of her character. During the conversation, she also credited the former WWE Superstar Ruby Riott (aka Ruby Soho) as one of the inspirations behind the change,
“I don’t actually give her enough credit, but Ruby Riott, she was the first one that I really looked at and was like, ‘Wow, she’s covered in tattoos. She’s got short hair, she looks super cool.’ I remember tagging with her quite a few times on the [NXT] coconut shows, which were like non-televised shows. She helped me just bring out that side of me that was me.” (quotes courtesy Wrestling INC)
For all her accomplishments, Rhea Ripley topped the prestigious PWI 500 list from the women’s side. She is one of two WWE stars in the top ten, with Bianca Belair being ranked third. AEW’s Jamie Hayter and Willow Nightingale took the fourth and eighth spot, respectively, while reigning Ring of Honor Women’s Champion Athena ranked at the number six position.
