Rhea Ripley has revealed she nearly had a WWE tryout when she was just 17 years old.
Speaking on the latest episode of Stephanie’s Places, Ripley shared how close she came to signing with WWE as a teenager, years before officially joining the company in 2017.
“They also held tryouts. I think they might have asked some people that they knew in Australia who they should look at and my name somehow got thrown in there by one of them,” Ripley said. “So I got a tryout at 17, and then they were like, ‘Oh, we didn’t realise that you were 17 years old, we might have to come back and give you a tryout when you’re 21.’”
Rather than waiting, Ripley decided to take her career into her own hands.
“I was like, I’m gonna try to bet on myself in every aspect. I went to Japan when I was 17 years old for three months,” she recalled.
Her gamble eventually paid off. A few years later, WWE came calling again. Ripley was 20 at the time when the company reached out and offered her another opportunity.
“When I was 20, WWE actually came back to Australia, and they hit me up like, ‘We want to give you a tryout, we know that we said 21, but we’re coming back now so we’d love for you to be a part of it.’”
Ripley remembered the moment fondly, especially her mother’s reaction.
“I remember calling my mum, and she was so excited, she was like, ‘Everything that you’ve worked so hard for is finally coming together. All this time I spent waiting for you in the car park is finally coming to something,’” she laughed.
Ripley’s rise has been undeniable since signing with WWE, and she now finds herself set to challenge Iyo Sky for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 41 alongside Bianca Belair in a Triple Threat match.
What Invasion Of Her Privacy Did Rhea Ripley Recently Speak About?
Rhea Ripley addressed a recent incident of a fan who invaded her privacy by showing up on her doorstep to self-deliver fan mail to her on Valentine’s Day. Ripley described seeing the person on her doorbell camera who stood at her door for close to 15 minutes. Ripley urged fans not to send mail, either via post or self-delivered, to her home address as she feels this is an invasion of her privacy.
In a new interview, Rhea Ripley defended her spot on the WrestleMania card.
H/t to Fightful.com