Australian wrestling sensation Rhea Ripley has shown that not everything that happens in the ring is a performance.
The WWE star, 28, took to Instagram on Monday to share the aftermath of her WrestleMania 41 clash in Las Vegas.
Rhea was vying for the Women’s World Championship belt in a triple-threat match against Iyo Skye and Bianca Belair.
It was not the Aussie’s day, however, with Iyo taking out top honours.
Rhea took to the social media platform to share a selfie that showed her sporting a ‘souvenir’ from the event.
Smiling meekly as she posed for the photo, Rhea was also wearing a very dark bruise under her left eye.
Australian wrestling sensation Rhea Ripley has shown that not everything that happens in the ring is a performance
Her brow was also quite swollen in the photo and the multi-coloured contusion extended around her eye socket.
‘#WrestleMania 41 souvenir,’ Rhea simply captioned the wince-worthy image, which was met with a flurry of comments from fans.
‘You did amazing! I hope you had a blast and are so proud of yourself,’ one fan offered.
‘You are incredible and I love you so dearly. Give yourself some time to heal.’
Another chimed in with a similar: ‘You killed it out there and I’m so proud of you.’
Summing up the sentiment of many, a third commented: ‘You make a bruised eye look good. A war wound from a killer match, you smashed it yesterday.’
Rhea’s malady comes after she baffled fans, granting one fan’s bizarre request to sign adoption paperwork.
She was approached by a big fan during an autograph session last week in Las Vegas.
Following her WrestleMania triple threat title match, Rhea took to the social media platform to share a selfie that showed her sporting a shocking black eye
‘#WrestleMania 41 souvenir,’ Rhea simply captioned the wince-worthy image, that was met with a flurry of comments from fans
The Australian phenom expected to have a quick interaction and move on, but had a one-of-a-kind signature to make.
‘I’ve been waiting for this since last WrestleMania,’ the fan said, per Fanatics on Instagram. ‘It took me months to get this – can you sign this to be my new Mami?’
Ripley could not believe her eyes at first, then nearly fell out of her chair laughing.
‘It’s a first – really? Okay!’ Ripley replied, seconds later signing the adoption document.
The fan then asked Ripley ‘Can I get a hug?’ with the Aussie obliging for the unique moment.
‘Thank you, Mami!’ the unidentified fan said to Ripley, before walking away with several fans looking on shocked at the moment.
‘Fed fans are weird,’ one wrestling fan said.
‘Bring back shaming,’ another person stated.
Rhea was vying for the Women’s World Championship belt in a triple threat match against Iyo Skye and Bianca Belair. It was not the Aussie’s day however, with Iyo taking out top honours
Before hugging the fan, Ripley, who appeared to enjoy the interaction with the fan, took a photo of the certificate with her phone.
The government paperwork did not appear to have any official standing and instead seems to be a novel way to get the wrestling star’s autograph.
Rhea – whose real name is Demi Bennett – rose through the ranks to become arguably the greatest Aussie export in WWE history.
She first became known by WWE fans after her participation in the Mae Young Classic in 2017 – and since then, her goth-rocker character has developed a cult like following.
In her personal life, Rhea also tied the knot with fellow wrestler Buddy Matthews back in April 2024.
She posted a picture of herself kissing her new husband, 35, and simply captioned the post: ‘Til death. 23.06.24.’
Followers rushed to congratulate the pro-wrestling power couple, including fellow WWE stars Bianca Belair, Kayla Becker, Daphanie LaShaunn and Dominik Mysterio.
The couple announced their engagement in August, 2023 on Instagram.
She posted a picture of herself kissing her smiling fiancé, 34, on a Florida beach and also revealed her unique engagement ring – a large diamond on a black band.
