Rhea Ripley blindsided, Shawn Michaels gets physical - 4 backstage attacks that have recently rocked WWE
A common joke among WWE fans for many years has been that there is no place more dangerous in the world than the NXT parking lot. It seemed as if somebody was getting attacked in that specific location on a weekly basis.
While that was a fun bit, the truth is, backstage attacks can be quite common in pro wrestling and especially in World Wrestling Entertainment. This is often to set up major feuds or to write talent off who can't otherwise be physical, yet need time away from television.
Recently, there have been several big backstage attacks, which is a catch-all meaning in the Gorilla Position, the hallways, the locker room, catering, or the parking area. Essentially, anywhere but the ring and ringside area.
This article will take a look at several recent backstage attacks that have rocked RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. This includes a shocking assault on Rhea Ripley, a champion being taken out of action, and beyond.
Below are four backstage attacks that have recently rocked WWE.
#4. Rhea Ripley was brutally assaulted in the WWE NXT parking lot
The October 29, 2024 edition of NXT featured a surprise appearance by former Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley. She put over the likes of Zaria, Giulia, and others in a backstage segment, but that wasn't the end of her night.
Later on during the WWE program, staff rushed outside to the dreaded NXT parking lot where Rhea Ripley was found a bloody and battered mess. This was shocking, as nobody saw it coming.
Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were seen on the scene of the crime wielding baseball bats. They later took credit for the assault, which went on to take Rhea out of action for several weeks. Thankfully, she returned in the Women's WarGames Match at WWE Survivor Series.
#3. Ava was accidentally struck
The November 26 episode of WWE NXT featured Ava telling several stars who failed to win their Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying matches that they had a last-chance Fatal Four-Way Match the following week to earn entry into the specialty bout.
One person who was unhappy about this was Eddy Thorpe. He grabbed Ava's wrist to express his disappointment. Not long after that, someone bumped into a door and it smashed into Ava, knocking her over. Shawn Michaels later blamed Eddy for what happened to the WWE official, to the point where the legend got physical.
A week later, Eddy was shown attacked backstage in the locker room. While some speculate the attacker could have been Oba Femi, Ethan Page, or even Shawn Michaels himself, one thing is for sure: multiple incidents happened in just two weeks. NXT is a dangerous place to be.
#2. Jade Cargill was badly injured
WWE Friday Night SmackDown on November 22, 2024, featured a backstage attack and one that has created a "whodunit" mystery of sorts that fans and wrestlers are attempting to figure out a few weeks later.
During a Triple Threat Match featuring Blair Davenport, Chelsea Green, and Bianca Belair, a video was shown on the WWE tron. Jade Cargill was bloodied and bruised on top of a car hood and windshield, seemingly covered in glass.
Belair left the match to check on Jade, but The Storm hasn't been seen since. The EST has made it her mission to discover who the attacker was. For now, Chelsea Green, Blair Davenport, and Piper Niven have seemingly been ruled out, but there are still several potential suspects left to sort through.
#1. Kevin Owens has attacked two performers backstage
Kevin Owens has been responsible for several beatdowns lately, including two that happened away from the inner area of these WWE arenas. The first happened after Bad Blood 2024 and the other took place on a subsequent SmackDown episode.
The Bad Blood 2024 attack actually happened after the show ended. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes was shockingly mauled by Kevin outside of his tour bus as retaliation for The American Nightmare working with Roman Reigns at that very premium live event.
Just a few weeks after that, Randy Orton was jumped outside by The Prizefighter. In this specific case, Kevin claimed Orton took Cody's side in their dispute, which led to the attack. Could Owens end up assaulting even more stars in the near future? For now, it remains unclear, but Sami Zayn, for example, better beware.