Rhea Ripley Biography 2024: Age, Relationship, Height, Education, Personal Life Net Worth, Professional Wrestling Career
Demi Bennett, born on the 11th of October, 1996, is an Australian professional wrestler signed with WWE. She performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. Bennett is a member of The Judgment Day stable and currently holds the Women’s World Champion title in her first reign.
| Birth name | Demi Bennett |
|---|---|
| Born | 11 October 1996 Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Partner | Buddy Matthews (2022–present; engaged) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Demi Bennett Rhea Ripley |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Billed from | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Trained by | WWE Performance Center Scotty 2 Hotty |
| Debut | 24 May 2014 |
Since 2013, Ripley has been competing on the independent circuit using her real name. In 2017, she joined WWE as part of the inaugural Mae Young Classic. She made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 edition of the tournament and then became a member of the original roster of NXT UK.
In August 2018, she became the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. From 2019 to 2021, Ripley had a successful run on the NXT brand, winning the NXT Women’s Championship and making history as the first NXT member to defend a title at WrestleMania, WWE’s flagship event.
In 2022, she was promoted to the main roster on Raw and joined The Judgment Day.
Ripley’s accomplishments include holding the NXT UK Women’s Championship, NXT Women’s Championship, Raw Women’s Championship (once), and WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (with Nikki A.S.H.)
She achieved the status of being the seventh WWE Women’s Triple Crown Champion and fifth WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion after winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship in April 2023.
She is the only wrestler to have held all five of these titles. Ripley also made history as the first female Australian champion in WWE.
Furthermore, she won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match as the number one entrant, making her the first woman to achieve this feat. She also set a record for the longest time spent in the women’s Rumble match at 1:01:08, although this record was later broken by Bayley during the 2024 Royal Rumble at 1:03:03.
Early life
Professional Wrestling Career
Bennett joined Riot City Wrestling in 2013 and went on to become a two-time RCW Women’s Champion during her time with the promotion.
She made her debut at New Horizon Pro Wrestling on 24 May 2014, participating in the Global Conflict Tournament.
Despite being eliminated in the first round by Mercedes Martinez, she returned for the second night of the event in a mixed tag team match.
Bennett also competed in the NHPW Final Chapter event six months later, vying for the IndyGurlz Australia Championship in a Four Way Match.
Although she did not emerge victorious, Bennett continued to showcase her skills in other promotions such as Melbourne City Wrestling, where she successfully defended her RCW Women’s title in a Three Way match.
Her winning streak continued with victories at MCW Clash Of The Titans and MCW Fight For A Cause.
Bennett wrestled her final RCW match on 22 April 2017 at RCW Strength, where she retained her Women’s title against Kellyanne.
In 2017, Bennett joined WWE and was revealed to be competing in the first Mae Young Classic as “Rhea Ripley”.
She emerged victorious against Miranda Salinas in the opening round but was defeated by Dakota Kai in the following round.
Ripley then made her debut on NXT television on the 25th of October 2017, taking part in a battle royal to determine a contender for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: WarGames on the 18th of November, a match ultimately won by Nikki Cross.
With a revamped appearance, Ripley took part in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, showcasing a more aggressive and disrespectful demeanor.
She secured victories against MJ Jenkins, Kacy Catanzaro, and Tegan Nox in her initial matches but was bested by Io Shirai in the semi-finals.
At WrestleMania Backlash on May 8th, Ripley interfered in AJ Styles’ match against Edge, costing him the victory and revealing herself as a member of The Judgment Day. The stable went on to win a six-person mixed tag team match at Hell in a Cell on June 5th, defeating Styles, Finn Bálor, and Liv Morgan.
Edge then introduced Bálor as the newest member of The Judgment Day on Raw, only to be attacked by Bálor, Priest, and Ripley, resulting in Edge being kicked out of the group. Ripley later won a fatal four-way match to become the number one contender for Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship.
Despite being scheduled to face Belair at Money in the Bank on July 2nd, Ripley was replaced by Carmella after not being medically cleared to compete.
The feud between The Judgment Day and the Mysterios culminated in a match at Clash at the Castle, where Balor and Priest were defeated by Rey and Edge.
Following the match, Dominik turned heel by attacking Edge and Rey, joining The Judgment Day. Ripley took on a role mirroring Eddie Guerrero’s Latino Heat gimmick alongside Dominik, referring to herself as Dominik’s “Mami”.
At Extreme Rules on October 8th, Dominik, Priest, and Ripley assisted Bálor in defeating Edge in an “I Quit” match. Ripley then attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, with a con-chair-to.
The Judgment Day emerged victorious against The O.C. at Crown Jewel in a six-man tag team match, thanks to interference from Ripley.
The O.C. introduced Mia Yim as their solution to counter Ripley on the following episode of Raw. Ripley briefly aligned herself with Damage CTRL leading up to Survivor Series, after Yim joined the opposing team.
During the Royal Rumble event on January 28, 2023, Ripley made an appearance at ringside to support her teammates in their attack on Edge.
However, she was unexpectedly speared by Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix. Later that night, Ripley achieved a remarkable feat by winning the women’s Royal Rumble match from the first entry position.
She secured the victory by eliminating Liv Morgan, who entered the match as the second participant. This made Ripley the first woman ever to win the Royal Rumble as the initial entrant, joining a prestigious list that includes Shawn Michaels in 1995, Chris Benoit in 2004, and Edge in 2021.
Not only that, but Ripley also set a record for the longest time spent in a women’s Royal Rumble match, clocking in at 1 hour, 1 minute, and 8 seconds. It’s worth noting that Morgan was officially recorded as lasting one second less.
The following episode of Raw saw Ripley announcing her intention to challenge Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 39. On the first night of WrestleMania 39, which took place on April 1, Ripley emerged victorious over Flair, capturing the title.
This win solidified Ripley’s status as the seventh Women’s Triple Crown champion, the fifth Women’s Grand Slam champion, and the youngest grand slam champion in WWE history at the age of 26.
At the Backlash event, Ripley effectively preserved her championship title during her initial defense against Zelina Vega from the Latino World Order.
Moving on to Night of Champions, Ripley once again triumphed in defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship, this time against Natalya in a swift match that lasted only 70 seconds.
A significant development occurred on the June 12 episode of Raw, as the SmackDown Women’s Championship underwent a name change to the Women’s World Championship, and Ripley was bestowed with a brand-new championship belt.
Continuing her successful reign, Ripley defeated Natalya once more on the July 3 episode of Raw to retain her title. At the Payback event on September 2, Ripley played a pivotal role in helping Bálor and Priest secure the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship by spearing Kevin Owens through the barricade.
Later that same night, Ripley overcame Raquel Rodriguez to retain her title, thanks to a distraction from Dominik. On the September 11 episode of Raw, Ripley emerged victorious in a rematch against Rodriguez, retaining her title despite interference from the returning Nia Jax, who launched an attack on Ripley after the match, resulting in her injury.
At Crown Jewel on November 4, Ripley triumphed over Jax, Rodriguez, Zoey Stark, and Shayna Baszler in a fatal five-way match, successfully defending her title. During the Survivor Series WarGames on November 25, Ripley defeated Stark to retain her championship title.
Finally, at Raw Day 1 on January 1, Ripley emerged victorious against Ivy Nile, successfully retaining her title. In a momentous event on February 24, at Elimination Chamber: Perth in her home country of Australia, Ripley once again defended her title in the main event, this time against Nia Jax.
Other Media
Bennett first appeared as a playable character in WWE 2K20, followed by WWE 2K Battlegrounds, WWE 2K22, and WWE 2K23. She will be featured on the cover of the deluxe edition of WWE 2K24 with Bianca Belair, making them the first female WWE Superstars to have this honor.
Personal Life
Bennett found inspiration in watching The Miz while growing up. Apart from wrestling, she is skilled in swimming, karate, rugby, netball, and soccer. She is a proud supporter of the Adelaide Football Club.
By 2022, she has been romantically involved with Australian wrestler Matthew Adams, who is known in the ring as Buddy Matthews. In August 2023, Bennett and Adams announced their engagement.
She enjoys listening to bands like Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills, and Falling in Reverse.
Championships and accomplishments
- CBS Sports
- Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year (2019)
- ESPN
- Female Wrestler of the Year (2023)
- Ranked No. 2 of the 30 best Pro Wrestlers Under 30 in 2023[100]
- New York Post
- Faction of the Year (2023) as part of The Judgment Day
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Faction of the Year (2023) as part of The Judgment Day
- Match of the Year (2023) vs. Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39
- Woman of the Year (2023)
- Ranked No. 11 of the top 100 female wrestlers in the PWI Women’s 100 in 2020
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 250 female wrestlers in the PWI Women’s 250 in 2023
- Riot City Wrestling
- RCW Women’s Championship (2 times)
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 7 of the top 10 women’s wrestlers in 2019.
- Ranked No. 2 of the top 10 wrestlers of 2023
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Women’s Wrestling MVP (2023)
- WWE
- WWE Raw Women’s Championship (1 time)
- Women’s World Championship (1 time, current)
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Nikki A.S.H.
- NXT Women’s Championship (1 time)
- NXT UK Women’s Championship (1 time, inaugural)
- Women’s Royal Rumble (2023)
- NXT UK Women’s Championship Tournament (2018)
- Seventh Women’s Triple Crown Champion
- Fifth Women’s Grand Slam Champion
Notes
Ripley won the Women’s World Championship as the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The title was renamed in June 2023 during her reign.
Net Worth
As of 2024, Rhea Ripley’s net worth is close to USD 1 million. According to her WWE contract, she procures a fundamental compensation of $250,000.
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