In the world of WWE where “Divas” have long been synonymous with a specific standard of beauty and femininity that shaped How female wrestlers were supposed to look. They were expected to embody a glamorous and alluring image, characterized by long, flowing hair, flawless makeup, and a focus on physical appearance.
Until Rhea Ripley showed up, a woman wrestler who has taken the internet by storm with her looks, the “dark”, “goth” makeup, short jet-black hairs and a load of tattoos but this wasn’t always a case for the “mami”. In fact when Rhea made her debut in NXT back in 2017, at just the age of 20, she was a far cry from the commanding figure that she is today.
Back then, Rhea sported long, flowing blonde hair and a girl-next-door appearance that fit the mold of what female wrestlers were expected to be. The wrestling landscape was different; it was a time when divas were often defined by their conventional beauty, and Rhea was no exception.
But what really led her to make such a drastic change in her look?
It was because of Toni Storm, Yes the current AEW Women’s World Champion but back then both Rhea and Toni were signed by the WWE at around the same time. Both hailed from Australia and almost had a similar look.
And many would often make the comparison between the two and tell them that they were so similar but Rhea did not like it as she wanted to differentiate herself from other female wrestlers and make her own mark.
So, this is when she decided to cut her hair and it was something she always wanted to do but was always very scared as she used to hide behind her long hair because of her shy nature.
But once she got together the courage to cut it, the hair got shorter and shorter, every other NXT show and had traded long pants with bold tight shorts but this wasn’t all, Rhea wanted more.
So she decided to ink her body but it was easier said than done as WWE had all these rules where female wrestlers could not have a tattoo that was visible but anyhow after being inspired by Ruby Riot she went for the kill, starting with her arm.
And the look became a hit, garnering over 900 million views on WWE’s official TikTok page and no one is more proud of this than Rhea herself.
Also Read: 5 Rhea Ripley’s Surprising Secrets that You Didn’t Knew!?