Rhea Ripley explains how she was "manipulating the system" early in her WWE run (Exclusive)
Rhea Ripley is considered by many to be one of the most impactful WWE stars in recent years, and rightly so. In a recent interview, she talked about how she evolved from her time in NXT and then on the main roster.
Before sporting her classic goth look, the Eradicator had blond hair and a simple wrestling attire. However, she gradually started showcasing tattoos over the years, culminating in her current appearance as a no-nonsense wrestler. In an exclusive interview with Dr. Chris Featherstone for Sportskeeda Wrestling, she was asked about her journey in the business.
In response to the questions, Rhea Ripley outlined her worries about getting tattoos, stating that Ruby Riott's signing made her gain confidence.
"I didn't wanna get tattoos because I was scared that it would prevent me from getting hired by WWE 'cause it was at a time when not many women had tattoos. It was really like, looked down upon. And then Ruby Riott got signed and she had all these tattoos and then, there were sort of loopholes in what they were saying where they were like, 'You can get tattoos, they just have to be hidden. We don't want to see them on TV.'" [0:55 onwards]
Rhea Ripley further talked about her time in WWE NXT
While Ripley had started making an impression early on, she apparently went through a lot to gain her confidence.
Adding to her comments in the exclusive interview, she explained how she had gotten away with having an increasing number of tattoos despite it being frowned upon.
"I took that first year and I was trying to like please everyone, and it got to the point where I was like, I am losing myself as a human being and I don't like myself. I feel depressed, homesick and I am over it. So I was like, I wanna be myself. I wanna be genuine. That's where you see the Rhea Ripley in the Mae Young Classic too. I got pants, I was like sweet. If I wear pants that means I can get tattoos on my legs 'cause they are hidden, right? So I was sort of manipulating the system in a way." [1:26 onwards]
As of now, it remains to be seen what Rhea Ripley's future in WWE will look like.
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