WWE superstar Rhea Ripley has made a candid admission about her personal health struggles, revealing that she is currently battling an eating disorder. The 29-year-old former Women's World Champion shared this information after wrestling enthusiasts on social media platforms highlighted her apparent weight and muscle mass reduction in recent months.
Fan Observations Spark Response
Fitness influencer Matthew Angeletti shared a video analyzing Ripley's physical transformation, noting significant fat loss from her frame. In response to this post, Ripley wrote openly about her condition, stating, 'Just a little eating disorder that I'm actively trying to handle.' This revelation comes as the Australian-born athlete prepares for one of wrestling's biggest events.
WrestleMania Preparation
Ripley has been intensifying her training regimen ahead of WrestleMania 42, scheduled for this weekend. She is set to challenge current WWE Women's Champion Jade Cargill for the championship belt on Saturday. In a recent interview with WWE.com, Ripley detailed her grueling workout schedule, explaining she has been training more rigorously than usual due to this high-stakes match.
Last year, she demonstrated her demanding arm workout routine in a collaborative video with fellow wrestler Sheamus. Her exercises included seated biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, overhead cable triceps extensions, curl bar skull crushers, horizontal dumbbell triceps presses, hammer curls, and tricep dips among others.
A Wrestling Phenomenon
Ripley stands as one of professional wrestling's most prominent figures today. The three-time women's champion commands an impressive 6.7 million followers on Instagram and was ranked the industry's top female wrestler in 2023. She has cultivated a distinctive gothic punk aesthetic over many years, featuring extensive tattoos across her torso, forearms, and legs, complemented by jet black lipstick and dramatic eye makeup during performances.
Personal Transformation Journey
Before adopting her current image, Ripley presented as a fresh-faced blonde with a more conventional appearance. She discussed this radical transformation in a 2022 interview with Fox Sports, citing wrestler Beth Phoenix as an inspiration. 'Growing up, I looked at people like Beth Phoenix. She was different, she was built different, big, beefy and she had muscles and she was going out there and obliterating anyone in her path. That's someone I looked up to,' Ripley explained.
She emphasized her dedication to transforming her body into what she described as 'a weapon of mass destruction' through rigorous gym work. Ripley also expressed frustration with societal expectations regarding women's appearances, stating, 'The whole thing is women should have long hair. I hate that stereotype. I hate when men say, "Grow your hair out." No. This is my body, this is my choice.'
The Dark Side of Fame
Ripley's immense popularity has occasionally led to concerning incidents. Last year, while on tour in Europe, she was aggressively surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic fans who pushed her against a car door outside her hotel before WWE's Clash in Paris event. After video footage circulated online, Ripley addressed the situation on social media, urging fans to respect boundaries.
'Remember, we are people. Do not swarm me or anyone like a pack of rabid zombies,' she wrote. 'No one should ever be pushed up against an Uber driver's door and completely mobbed like I just experienced. Use common courtesy and humanity. No means no.'
Ripley isn't alone in addressing overwhelming fan interactions. Fellow WWE star Kevin Owens discussed similar experiences on podcaster Chris Van Vliet's show, describing how airport gatherings have grown from five or six people to forty or fifty, creating potentially frightening situations particularly for female wrestlers.
Career and Personal Life
Ripley is married to fellow wrestler Buddy Matthews, who competes for WWE's rival organization AEW. She began her WWE journey in 2017 with placement on the NXT developmental brand. Her accomplishments include becoming the inaugural NXT UK women's champion in 2018, winning the NXT Women's Championship in 2019, and achieving three women's championship titles and two women's tag team championships on WWE's main roster.
