Rhea Ripley has become a leading name in WWE but that never would have happeend had she given into her early insecurities. Speaking on Stephanie’s Places on ESPN, Ripley recalled debuting in WWE as part of the 2017 Mae Young Classic and being wrought with worries at the time.
“I started doubting myself. I wanted to move back to Australia. I wanted to throw my dream away.”
The problem? Ripley felt the immense pressure of the opportinity presented getting to her. That pressure meant that Ripley “wasn’t doing things to the best of my abilities,” which only made her feel worse. Not only did her self-doubt worry Ripley but others took notice of her in-ring concerns, and they too doubted whether she could cut it.
After much soul-searching, Ripley recognized that she had to get her anxiety under control if she wanted to continue to chase her WWE dream. What followed was Ripley looking within herself to understand what exactly was causing the problem she was facing.
“I sat down with myself one day and I was like ‘You need to be better. You need to be yourselfand you need to prove people wrong.'”
Recognizing that change was necessary, Ripley began with a source of major concern, her appearance. Rhea admitted that she’d hide behind her long blonde hair when embarrassed describing this safety mechanism as a “cloak” she used to protect herself.
“I had to remember who I was and become myself. The real me.”
After presenting a fake version of herself that she felt she could hide behind, Ripley eventually learned to embrace who she really is. Now, fans get to see the real Rhea Ripley, a metal-loving, black-embracing badass each week on WWE programming, despite these major mental obstacles early into her career.
