Australian WWE megastar Rhea Ripley says she doesn’t know how she became a TikTok sensation as she defended herself over being photographed on social media at Carlton AFL Guernsey while originally from Adelaide.
The South Australian export and Crows fan was pictured with her fiancé and fellow wrestling star Buddy Matthews at the MCG on September 8 for the thrilling AFL Carlton v Sydney semi-final.
But Ripley told The Advertiser she remained loyal to the home team, which had been controversially excluded from the 2023 race.
“Sometimes you have to do things to make your partner happy. Obviously my Crows boys weren’t playing so I had to wear the guernsey, I had to be part of the family but the Crows are still my team.
The former Henley Beach High School student, real name Demi Bennett, was in the country to promote the professional wrestling powerhouses’ announcement of her first major Australian show in the last five years.
WWE will host its Elimination Chamber Premium Live event at Optus Stadium in Perth on February 24, for a spectacle set to attract tens of thousands of live fans and a global broadcast audience of millions.
Reigning WWE Women’s World Champion Ripley is set to play a starring role in the series alongside fellow Adelaide native Bronson Reed (Jermaine Haley).
She said she hoped WWE fans in Perth could put on a spectacle similar to the “scary” noise Carlton Army made at the MCG when they sealed their place in the preliminary final in nail-biting fashion.
“I hope everyone who is there will be rowdy because they have been waiting for WWE for a long, long time and I am intrigued to see how they will react to me.”
Ripley has risen to the top of the global wrestling industry thanks to blockbuster performances as well as an explosion of social media influence driven by legions of fans on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
But Ripley said she’s not sure how she became an accidental social media star.
“I haven’t had a TikTok in a really long time and apparently I was famous on TikTok, and I don’t know how that became a thing.
“I guess my fans, my Moshers, were making edits about Rhea Ripley and getting views, but it got so out of hand that work made me create a TikTok account and now they’re making me make videos at work ( because they know I’m not going to do them myself).
Ripley has more than six million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined, but has also inspired countless fan accounts that pour out torrents of clips of her work inside and outside the ring.
Ripley attributes part of her popularity to her willingness to take on internet trolls.
“I guess I go on Twitter and Instagram and have a little fun and get a little sassy, and I just call people out on the things they write to me. I guess people are behind this. I stand up for myself in a way while still making them feel like they’re idiots…which people, they love, because they love seeing bullies get what they deserve.
WWE Elination Chamber Perth will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth on February 24. Fans can register for pre-sale tickets here.
