‘Pretty Much Put On The Chopping Block’ – Rhea Ripley Reveals ‘Really Tough Period’ Early In WWE Career

Published: 1 hour ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 1 hour ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

‘Pretty Much Put On The Chopping Block’ – Rhea Ripley Reveals ‘Really Tough Period’ Early In WWE Career

Rhea Ripley has revealed that she was “pretty much put on the chopping block” early in her WWE career, commenting on a rocky period.

Signing with WWE in 2017, Rhea Ripley would first appear in that year’s Mae Young Classic, going on to compete in the same tournament the following year.

Between both years, Ripley underwent a change of presentation, adopting a look far closer to what WWE see today, heading off to hone her craft in NXT UK and becoming the brand’s first Women’s Champion.

Things could have been different, however, with Ripley opening up about personal struggles between 2017 and 2018 and that she could have seen her WWE career prematurely end, as she discussed in an appearance in a pack opening video for Topps, saying:

“When it was in between the first Mae Young (Classic) and the second Mae Young, I really went through this real tough period where I lost myself.

“I was really struggling, and I didn’t think I would make it here in the WWE. I got pretty much put on the chopping block a couple of times. I kind of just had to just to talk to myself, and I was like ‘stop trying to please everyone, like, do what you think is right and be yourself, and at least if you don’t make it, you bet on yourself, and you bet on the true self that you are.’ And that’s exactly what I did.”

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Despite the early rough patch, Ripley would go on to become NXT Women’s Champion before being called up to the main roster in early 2021, continuing her championship-winning ways on Raw and SmackDown.

Ripley will defend the WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill at Clash In Italy on May 31.

The Alternative Look That Works

Between the 2017 and 2018 Mae Young Classic, Rhea Ripley changed her look, with black hair and ring gear replacing the bright colours of her debut year.

While Vince Russo may have opined that Ripley should “get rid of all that goth stuff” in comments made back in early 2023, it’s clearly working for the WWE star, and is no doubt an inspiration to many young women who embrace alternative appearances.

It probably comes as little surprise that, during the Topps video, Ripley cites Paige as helping her to accept being herself, with the recently returned star having long been associated with a look that was counter to the “typical” women’s star in WWE during her own early years.

Ripley said:

“I love Paige. I think she’s great. She’s someone that also helped me accept myself.”

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Standing out and standing alone, Rhea Ripley continues to be at the very top of the game as the WWE Women’s Champion and, even without the title in her possession, she has demonstrated the qualities that make her a noticeable star in a sea of talent.

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