In recent years Rhea Ripley has become one of the top performers in the professional wrestling industry, with WWE pushing her heavily. Her career has been on a steady rise since she joined the company, with WWE slowly pushing her up the ladder, and Rhea knocking it out of the park each time.
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She's had a lot of great matches and moments, showcasing her personality and in-ring ability. They have combined to make her one of the top names, and someone who fans will always react to. The step-up has been incredible, and it sets up an incredibly bright future for her.
10 Independent Scene Work
Rhea Ripley's career began back in 2013 working for Riot City Wrestling, which is an Australian independent promotion. She worked around Australia for various other promotions, getting her reps in and developing the necessary in-ring skills. While many fans may not have seen her work there, she did some great things.
Ripley was able to grow as a performer here, showcasing that she was one of the fastest rising stars within the industry, and clearly, it caught the attention of someone in WWE to hire her.
9 Mae Young Classic Debut
Rhea Ripley was then given her opportunity in WWE at the first-ever Mae Young Classic in 2017. It was a very different version of Ripley than what people see today though, as she appeared with long blonde hair, not having a real personality for people to latch onto.
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It was clear that Ripley had talent, with her powerhouse style working well within the tournament. She only made it to the second round, but Rhea managed to make an impact, which led to some NXT opportunities as well.
8 Returning To The Mae Young Classic
When WWE brought back the Mae Young Classic in 2018, once again Rhea Ripley was involved in the tournament. It was a big moment for her, because this time she had a completely different presentation. For the first time, Rhea looked as she does today, with an edgier personality.
That is something that suited her, because it was the real version of who she is. This version of her connected, and that is something that WWE saw, which is why she went all the way to the semi-finals this time around.
7 NXT UK Women's Champion
After being involved in the Mae Young Classic, WWE decided to put her on the NXT UK roster. She was immediately made a top star on that show, helping to establish the women's division. She did that by claiming the NXT UK Women's Title, which was a huge moment for her.
It also allowed Ripley to feud against Toni Storm, who is one of her greatest rivals of all time. The two of them had some great matches during this time, and that only rose Rhea's stock in the company.
6 NXT Women's Champion
After dominating NXT UK, Rhea Ripley was moved over to the American roster. She immediately got the chance to confront Shayna Baszler, who was the champion at the time. They had a great feud, with Ripley becoming a babyface in the company.
They battled inside WarGames, captaining their sides, which was a big opportunity for her. However, she then went on to finally capture the gold, which was something that led to the fans going crazy in celebration, which was a great photograph.
5 Challenging Charlotte Flair
Despite the fact she was still the NXT Women's Champion, Rhea Ripley then stormed onto the main roster to confront Charlotte Flair. The Queen was the Royal Rumble winner that year, and rather than her challenging someone, Ripley opted to put the question to her to fight for that title.
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It set up a huge storyline for Rhea as a wrestler, and it made things clear about the direction she was going within the company. It also allowed Ripley to make her debut at WrestleMania, although this was done in the pandemic era with no fans.
4 Brawls With Raquel Gonzalez
WWE often has someone in NXT put over another wrestler on their way out, and for Rhea Ripley that was Raquel Gonzalez. The two have similar styles in being bigger, more physical talents that can put on great hard-hitting encounters. That is exactly what they did.
The two of them had a short, but impactful rivalry. This included a terrific last woman's standing match, and it allowed Raquel to be put over as Rhea headed toward the main roster, getting the best of both worlds for each woman.
3 Raw Women's Champion
At WrestleMania 37, Rhea Ripley once again got the chance to compete on The Grandest Stage of Them All. This time it was Asuka who she stood across the ring from. Unlike the previous year, Ripley was able to get the victory this time around, and that led her to becoming Raw Women's Champion.
It was obviously a major achievement for her, not only for the title, but also because she got a major WrestleMania victory. It helped establish her as one of the biggest stars on the roster, which she had more than earned.
2 Women's Tag Team Champion
After losing her Raw Women's Title to Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley transitioned into the tag team division for the first time. It led to an unconventional partnership as she began working with Nikki ASH, who was portraying a superhero at the time, which was a unique pairing.
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Their characters were completely different, but audiences loved both of them together. This is why the company pushed them to become the Women's Tag Team Champions, which was a huge opportunity, and yet another title to add to Ripley's legacy.
1 Teaming With Liv Morgan
After Nikki ASH ended up turning heel, forcing the end of her tag team with Rhea Ripley, the former NXT Women's Champion moved on to a new partner. Rhea maintained her work in the tag division, and this saw her form a partnership with Liv Morgan.
This pairing made slightly more sense than Ripley's pairing with Nikki, as their characters were similar. The two of them have continued to work well together, building up their connection, which included them getting a shot for the titles at WrestleMania 38.
