5 wrestlers WWE's Rhea Ripley has been romantically linked with in real life
Nearly a decade ago, Rhea Ripley kicked off her professional wrestling career. She competed for a few years on the independent circuit before joining WWE in 2017. The 26-year-old has since become one of the top female superstars in the Stamford-based company.
Over the past nine years, The Nightmare has been romantically linked with a few wrestlers. While some of these rumored relationships were true, others were not. Earlier this year, the former RAW Women's Champion confirmed her romance with a three-time champion.
Here are five wrestlers WWE's Rhea Ripley has been romantically linked with in real life.
#5. Independent wrestler Demetri Jackson
After meeting him at a gym, Rhea Ripley started dating independent wrestler Demetri Jackson in 2019. Jackson, who holds a Master's degree in Sports and Exercise Science, had just become a professional wrestler. Meanwhile, The Nightmare was a WWE Superstar.
In an interview with Chasing Glory in 2020, Ripley disclosed that she was trying to help her rookie boyfriend. However, he did not want much of her help. Instead, he wanted to succeed on his own.
"Kevin – he goes by Demetri – he's only been wrestling for, I want to say a year-and-a-half – two years, so that's not very long. He's still pretty green and still has a lot to learn, but he learns super fast. I've been trying to help him along the way. We'll watch matches and I'll sort of break it down for him and explain things. I'm always there for him 'cause I want him to succeed. He's been straight on not wanting too much of my help 'cause he wants to succeed on his own; he doesn't want me to give him anything, which I appreciate," she said. (H/T: Wrestling Inc.)
After dating for a few years, Ripley and Jackson recently split. It is now unknown if the independent wrestler is in a new relationship.
#4. Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Liv Morgan
Earlier this year, Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley joined forces to chase the Women's Tag Team Championships. The two ladies also seemed to have a very close relationship to the extent that some fans believed they were dating in real life.
Last April, the WWE India Twitter account posted a photo of Morgan and Rhea together.
"They're for sure dating," a fan commented on the post.
Another fan also commented on a tweet by Rhea Ripley, stating that she and Morgan should be dating if they were not already.
"Idk if they were dating or not but they should. They looked like they were meant for each other," he wrote.
The two ladies, however, never dated in real life. While Ripley is currently in a relationship, Morgan is reportedly dating former WWE Superstar Bo Dallas.
#3. AEW star Buddy Matthews
In early 2018, Buddy Matthews's relationship with Alexa Bliss ended as the couple called off their engagement. Earlier this year, Matthews started dating Bliss' co-worker Rhea Ripley.
After a few weeks of speculation, Ripley confirmed her relationship with Matthews by posting a picture of herself hugging the former WWE RAW Tag Team Champion on social media, captioning it with a black heart emoji.
Since then, The Nightmare has shared a few photos with her boyfriend on Instagram. Last month, she posted two pictures with Matthews, captioning them, "my happiness."
While Ripley is currently active in WWE, her boyfriend is under contract with Tony Khan's AEW.
#2. Former WWE United States Champion Damian Priest
Damian Priest has been a friend of Rhea Ripley for several years. However, their close bond sparked rumors that their relationship might be more than just a friendship.
After Ripley confirmed her relationship with Buddy Matthews (fka Buddy Murphy), a fan tweeted that he thought she was dating Priest.
"I'm just randomly thinking about this but why before it was announced that Rhea Ripley was dating buddy Matthews I thought she was with Damian priest 🤣😂🤦🏾♂️" he wrote.
Another fan also replied to one of Ripley's tweets stating that he hoped the rumors about her dating Priest were true. Meanwhile, The Nightmare spoke about her relationship with the former WWE United States Champion in a recent interview with Metro.
It’s insane. I get along with them boys so well – even Priest, we’ve been friends for so long now. We’ve always talked about wanting to do an inter-gender tag match together, we are so similar. I wore the dude's gear when I lost my gear, that's how similar we are!" Ripley said.
Ripley and Priest are currently members of The Judgment Day on Monday Night RAW.
#1. Former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion Dominik Mysterio
The Judgment Day feuded with Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik for several weeks on Monday Night RAW. Meanwhile, Rhea Ripley and her teammates encouraged Dominik to join their group.
Despite initially being reluctant, the 25-year-old betrayed his father and Edge at Clash at the Castle and joined The Judgment Day. Since then, Ripley seems to be the one controlling Dominik. She even claimed that she had turned Dominik into a man.
Ripley and Dominik's on-screen relationship sparked rumors that the two might be dating in real life.
"If the rumors are true and you and domimic [Dominik] are dating... hes a lucky dude..." a fan commented on one of Ripley's tweets last month.
Another fan also wondered if the two superstars were dating in a tweet, stating that Ripley and Dominik looked cute together.
However, the rumors are, of course, untrue. While Ripley is dating Buddy Matthews, Dominik is also in a relationship. A few hours ago, he and his girlfriend celebrated their 11th anniversary.