Rhea Ripley Admits “I Hated Myself” During Specific Part Of WWE Career
Rhea Ripley hasn’t loved how she looked during her entire WWE career.
When Rhea Ripley signed with WWE in 2017, she was a 21-year-old with a bright future. Since then, she has not only met the company’s expectations but also exceeded them.
At 30, Rhea Ripley is arguably the most important woman on the WWE roster, and the fact that she’s participated in a championship match at every WrestleMania she’s been part of is an example of that.
Going into WrestleMania 42, Ripley will try to become a 4-time Women’s Champion on the WWE main roster when she challenges Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Title on WrestleMania Sunday, April 19th.
Fans of Ripley know that over the years, the powerful Australian has always exuded confidence on screen. However, as Ripley told Complex in a new interview, she didn’t always like how she looked in her NXT days in the late 2010s.
“Oh, I’m pretty comfortable. And what were the NXT shopping days like though, dude? It was terrifying. It made me feel like honestly how I felt in high school when I was shopping for my graduation.
I just felt so nervous and uneasy and I felt like I hated myself in everything that I was wearing. I thought my shoulders were too broad. I just thought I was like a weirdly shaped human. I just hated all the clothes on me. So shopping those days was terrifying.” (H/T Ringsidenews)
Rhea Ripley Hopes WWE Does Another Evolution PLE Soon
At the 2026 WWE Evolution PLE that featured only women’s matches, Rhea Ripley faced her good friend Iyo Sky in the main event of the show. Naomi ended up stealing the show by cashing in Money in the Bank on Sky and left with the Women’s World Title, but for Ripley, it showed she has become a top female star in WWE.
In a recent interview, Rhea Ripley made it clear that she hopes there won’t be a long wait for the next Evolution PLE.
“We had to wait eight, what was it, eight years for the Evolution 2, which was a wild thing, but I feel like after Evolution 2, which is an all-women’s pay-per-view, I feel like we went out there and we showed everyone exactly what we can do, and I’m hoping that it takes less time now for Evolution 3.
I really hope that everyone watched that and went, ‘ Wow, this needs to be a yearly thing.’ Because we’re really busting our ass every time we go out there, and we’re making sure that we’re making as much history that we can along the way.
But we’re trying to set up the future for better things as well. I really want to leave this company where the women’s division is better off.”
WWE WrestleMania 42 takes place on April 18 & April 19 in Las Vegas. Here’s the lineup so far.
Saturday, April 18 Matches
- WWE Undisputed Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Randy Orton
- WWE Women’s World Championship: Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Liv Morgan
- Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
- Women’s Intercontinental Championship: AJ Lee (c) vs. Becky Lynch
- Women’s Tag Team Championships: Irresistible Forces – Nia Jax & Lash Legend (c) vs. Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins – Nikki & Brie Bella vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
- Unsanctioned Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)
- LA Knight and The Usos – Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The Vision – Logan Paul & Austin Theory and IShowSpeed (Match Will Also Air On ESPN 2 In First Hour)
Sunday, April 19 Matches
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Roman Reigns
- WWE Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- United States Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Trick Williams
- “Demon” Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
- Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Penta (c) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. Rusev vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rey Mysterio (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)
- Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar (Match Will Also Air On ESPN In First Hour)
WrestleMania 42 will STREAM LIVE Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT on ESPN in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.