Rhea Ripley has revealed a time she wanted to quit WWE.
The Mami is one of WWE’s top stars right now, even outdoing the WWE Champion Cody Rhodes in merch sales some weeks. The journey to this success has not been an easy one for Ripley, however. Having made her wrestling debut at the age of 17 back in 2014, Rhea had to go through a lot of hardship before finding her unique identity that has led to her becoming an icon for everyone who feels like an outcast.
The former Champion talked about her path during a recent interview with Paste Magazine. She first discussed her intense routine while training at the Diana Dojo in Japan. Rhea Ripley then noted that things didn’t improve for her even after joining WWE. Ripley, who was trying to fit in with other young signees, failed to make an impression in her early appearances. This led to her wanting to quit the business altogether:
“I literally broke down. I was at my lowest and I wanted to quit. I wanted to give it all up, and I was like, ‘No, you have to continue for all the people that actually did believe in you. You have to prove the doubters wrong.’”
I Was So Much More Confident: Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley competed in the Inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament in July 2017. She made her NXT debut in October that year, competing in a battle royal. This remained her only TV appearance for the brand for almost a year, however, until she completely overhauled her appearance. She debuted her current look at the 2018 Mae Young Classic, that led to her becoming the star she is now:
“I said, ‘This is me now.’ And they were like, ‘Okay, we’ll see if it works.’ Luckily, I went out there and I was so much more confident. The second Mae Young Classic, I was me. I didn’t care. I just wanted to go out there and do what I loved. I wanted to brutalize and entertain, and that’s where Rhea Ripley grew into.”
The Eradicator will be competing in a triple threat match for the Women’s title against Bianca Belair and IYO SKY at WrestleMania 41. You can check out the match order for both nights of the show here.
