Many consider NXT to be WWE’s best brand, because of the fact that it focuses more on the wrestling aspect of the business, instead of the sports entertainment side, and it helps that the superstars are able to produce great matches. It is thanks to NXT that the WWE’s women’s division is now filled with talented individuals who can actually wrestle, and the NXT women truly shine in the ring, until they get to main roster.

Charlotte Flair may be the new NXT Women’s Champion, but she is not the leader of the brand’s locker room, that is a spot that is currently held by the former Champion, Rhea Ripley. Rhea was born and raised in Australia, and she first appeared in a WWE ring during the inaugural Mae Young Classic, and since then, she has become a fan favorite amongst NXT fans, and this article will focus on 15 little known facts about her.

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WWE PC Workouts: Rhea Ripley

15Music Is A Big Part Of Her Character

It should come as no surprise that Rhea is a fan of heavy metal and rock music, but what you might not know is the fact that it plays a major role in her on-screen character. Rhea has said that this music is the source of her toughness, and that she picked her theme song because it puts her in the right mentality before going to the ring.

14Her Biggest Influence May Surprise You

When watching Rhea, it is clear that she prefers a more physical wrestling style, in fact you can even say that she enjoys being blunt and brutal, and believe it or not, it was The Miz who influenced her character. While watching Miz, Rhea loved how irritable he was, but she also enjoyed how he did whatever he wanted.

13She’s A Real Athlete

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Many of the superstars on WWE’s current roster come from some form of athletic background, and Rhea is no different, as she has been involved in multiple sports throughout her life. While growing up, Rhea was a swimmer and a karate student, but she also played soccer, netball, and rugby.

12She Was Bullied As A Kid

School is supposed to be a fun and safe place, but it can be hell when bullies are involved, and Rhea knows this quite well, as she was bullied when she was younger. The bullying was so intense, that she resorted to hurting herself, but she overcame this dark part in her life by focusing on more creative things, like wrestling.

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11Her Age

The WWE Universe has known about Rhea since 2017, but she actually started her wrestling journey in Australia when she was just 16. She started that training in 2013, which means that she is currently 23, which sounds absurd considering how much she has already accomplished in WWE, but it means that she still has a very long career ahead of her.

10She’s Already Made WWE History

Rhea has barely been with the WWE for 3 years, and her name has already been etched into the company’s history books. In 2018, she became the first ever NXT UK Women’s Champion, and a few months ago, she became the NXT Women’s Champion, which was a history-making moment because she became the first and only woman to ever win both titles.

9The Tattoos

Randy Orton, Ruby Riot, and Aleister Black have a lot of visible tattoos, and the WWE is completely fine with it, but when it comes to Rhea, the company says that she cannot have any visible tattoos on her upper body. With that being the case, she has focused on filling up her legs, which is fine because she wears pants.

8She’s An Anime Fan

Based on her in-ring look, you would not think that someone like Rhea would be interested in Japanese manga and anime, but you would be mistaken. At WrestleMania, her ring gear was clearly inspired by Vegeta from the popular Dragon Ball series, and some of the jackets that she has worn were inspired by Ryuk from Death Note.

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7She Really Loves Her Dog

At one point, Rhea had to spend a significant amount of time in Orlando by herself, and at the time, she was going through a few issues, which caused her to feel even more alone. Luckily, Rhea has a small dog named Luna, and she credits her for getting her through that hard time because she always puts a smile on her face,

6She Makes Her Own Gear

WWE has its own set of costume designers, who are there to work on the superstars’ ring gear, but Rhea chooses to do everything herself. During an interview, Rhea revealed that she makes most of her own gear, by adding studs, chains, and eyelet holes to her jackets, pants, and wrist guards.

5Her Family Did Not Believe In Her At First

Normally, your family would try to support your dreams and aspirations, but Rhea did not receive any of that when she told her family that she wanted to become a professional wrestler. Her family actually questioned her decision, calling her silly, and saying that she would never make it to the WWE. She sure proved them all wrong.

4She’s Dating A Wrestler

As it turns out, professional wrestlers have a lot in common, which is why many of them get romantically involved with each other. Rhea has been off the market since late last year, after she officially announced that she was dating fellow wrestler Demetri Action Jackson, who can currently be seen performing in the Indies.

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3She’s The First Champion To Ever Challenge A Royal Rumble Winner

For 27 years, the winner of the Royal Rumble has challenged the top champion to a match at WrestleMania, but this year was a little bit different. After Charlotte Flair won her Rumble match, she was challenged the very next night by Rhea, which made Rhea the first champion in history to ever officially challenge a Rumble winner.

2She’s Not That Tall

Rhea has built her character around being an intimidating force, and one of the ways WWE drives this home is by making her look tall, but she is not actually that tall. She is in fact 5’7″, and she mainly looks tall because she is usually up against opponents who are shorter than her, but during her WrestleMania match, she was the short one, as Charlotte is 5’10”.

1Why She Changed Her Appearance

Rhea has received a great deal of praise for her WWE look, but when she first started wrestling, she looked very different, as she had long blond hair, and did not look anything like a heavy metal biker. Apparently, Rhea used to be compared to Toni Storm, another blond female WWE superstar from Australia, so she decided to change her look to differentiate herself from Toni.