"You may not like it" - Rhea Ripley outburst on real-life issue sparks interesting take from veteran (Exclusive)
While WWE Superstars like Rhea Ripley seem to have it all in life, their celebrity status does come with a price at times. However, a legendary wrestling journalist believes it is a part of the package.
The journalist in question, Bill Apter, has seen much of the wrestling industry during his career. Rhea Ripley's surge to stardom has brought her up to the level of some of the biggest names in WWE. Her absolute domination in the ring, coupled with her intimidating presentation, has captivated fans around the world.
A while back, Ripley was seen half-heartedly giving out autographs at an airport, probably owing to her being visibly tired. The interaction later prompted a tweet from her, drawing attention to the discomfort she had to face.
While the incident was certainly regrettable, Bill Apter thinks it is just one of the downsides of being a celebrity. Speaking on the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, the veteran stated:
"They are celebrities, TMZ hunts them down. Look over there, that's Rhea Ripley. It's part of (it). You may not like it, but it's part of being a celebrity." (19:26 - 19:43)
He further talked about Becky Lynch as well while making his point:
"Here you have these people, like a Becky Lynch, she is going to be on Celebrity Jeopardy! So WWE stars, for the most part, transcend the sports entertainment wrestling, the entertainment part. So, it comes with the territory gang." (20:51 - 21:13)
Rhea Ripley later explained the reasoning behind her social media outburst
The incident at the airport that prompted Ripley's tweet was apparently a very harrowing experience for her.
After her outburst on Twitter, the Eradicator had talked about the matter in depth during an interview with USA Insider. She stated:
"So, I had a fan follow me outside the airport today because I said no to them, because I didn't have the time, and it was all of the same stuff they wanted signed. It was one fan specifically. He's notorious, he's always at the airport, getting our signatures and selling them on eBay — we know his face, we know who he is. He was the main instigator. He followed me out, and others followed him too, and they all followed me, as I'm trying to find my Uber."
Rhea Ripley is currently on track to become one of the most notable women in WWE history, with her reign as the Women's World Champion showing no signs of stopping. It remains to be seen what is next for her down the line.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted if you use any quotes from the first half of this article and embed the exclusive YouTube video.