Rhea Ripley: Early Life, WWE Career, Moves, Entrance Theme and more

By Jake Skudder
Published: 3 May 2025, 10:50

Full Name: Demi Bennett
Ring Name: Rhea Ripley
Nicknames: The Nightmare, The Eradicator, Mami
Date of Birth: October 11, 1996
Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Height: 5’7″ (170 cm)
Weight: 137 lbs (62 kg)
Nationality: Australian
Ethnicity: Italian descent through her mother’s side
Family: Married to AEW wrestler Buddy Matthews (Matthew Adams) since June 2024

Early Life & Background

Born in Adelaide, Rhea Ripley (Demi Bennett) grew up in the suburb of Glenelg. She attended Henley High School and was active in sports like swimming, karate, rugby, netball, and soccer. Inspired by WWE Superstar The Miz, she pursued wrestling, debuting in 2013 with Riot City Wrestling in Australia. She became a two-time RCW Women’s Champion before joining WWE in 2017.

Wrestling Career

Debut

Professional Debut: May 24, 2014 (New Horizon Pro Wrestling)
WWE Debut: 2017 (Mae Young Classic)
Main Roster Debut: April 5, 2020, at WrestleMania 36

Championships & Accomplishments

WWE Women’s World Champion: 2 times
WWE Raw Women’s Champion: 1 time
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion: 1 time
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion: 1 time (with Nikki A.S.H.)
NXT Women’s Champion: 1 time
NXT UK Women’s Champion: 1 time (inaugural)
Women’s Royal Rumble Winner: 2023 (entered at #1)
WWE Women’s Triple Crown Champion: 7th
WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion: 5th
PWI Female 250: Ranked #1 in 2023

Wrestling Promotions

WWE: 2017–present
Riot City Wrestling: 2013–2017
New Horizon Pro Wrestling: 2014
Melbourne City Wrestling: 2014–2017

Wrestling Style & Signature Moves

Wrestling Style

Rhea Ripley employs a powerhouse style, blending strength, agility, and a commanding presence. Her persona as “The Nightmare” emphasizes her dominance and an intimidation factor to her character.

Signature Moves

Riptide: Pumphandle sit-out powerbomb
Prism Trap: Standing inverted Texas Cloverleaf
Big Boot: High-impact kick to the face
Headbutt: Sudden and forceful head strike

Finishing Moves

Riptide: Primary finishing move, showcasing her strength
Prism Trap: Submission hold targeting the lower back and legs

Entrance Theme

Current Theme: “Demon in Your Dreams” by def rebel featuring Motionless in White
Previous Themes: “The Other Side” by Alter Bridge, “Brutality” by CFO$ featuring Ash Costello

Notable Rivalries

Charlotte Flair: Faced at WrestleMania 36 and 39, with Ripley capturing the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2023
Becky Lynch: Defended the Women’s World Championship against Lynch at WrestleMania 40
Liv Morgan: Ongoing rivalry, including a title loss due to injury and subsequent reclaiming of the championship
Bianca Belair: Triple threat match at WrestleMania 41 for the Women’s World Championship

Career Highlights

First Female Australian Champion in WWE History
First Woman to Win Royal Rumble from #1 Spot: 2023
Longest Women’s World Championship Reign: 380 days, tied with Bayley
Featured in WWE 2K Video Games: Cover star for WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition
Playable Character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III: Season 5

Personal Life & Fun Facts

Married to Buddy Matthews: AEW wrestler, since June 2024
Tattoo Enthusiast: Known for her extensive and meaningful tattoos
Music Lover: Fan of bands like Motionless in White, who perform her entrance theme
Sports Background: Participated in various sports including swimming, karate, rugby, netball, and soccer during her youth

Rhea Ripley Stats at a Glance

Full Name: Demi Bennett
Ring Name: Rhea Ripley
Nicknames: The Nightmare, The Eradicator, Mami
Height: 5’7″ (170 cm)
Weight: 137 lbs (62 kg)
Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia
Date of Birth: October 11, 1996
Debut: May 24, 2014
Wrestling Style: Powerhouse
Signature Moves: Riptide, Prism Trap, Big Boot, Headbutt
Finishing Moves: Riptide, Prism Trap
Entrance Theme: “Demon in Your Dreams”
Notable Rivalries: Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair
Championships: 2× Women’s World Champion, 1× Raw Women’s Champion, 1× SmackDown Women’s Champion, 1× Women’s Tag Team Champion, 1× NXT Women’s Champion, 1× NXT UK Women’s Champion
Promotions: WWE, Riot City Wrestling, New Horizon Pro Wrestling, Melbourne City Wrestling
Career Highlights: First female Australian WWE champion, 2023 Royal Rumble winner, longest Women’s World Championship reign
Personal Background: Married to Buddy Matthews; tattoo enthusiast; fan of metal music

Profiles

Jake Skudder

Jake is an SEO-minded Football, Combat Sports, Gaming and Pro Wrestling writer, successful Editor in Chief, Sports SEO Coordinator for NationalWorld and SEO Writer for F4Wonline.com. He has more than ten years of experience covering mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, football and gaming across a number of publications, starting at SEScoops in 2012 under the name Jake Jeremy. His work has also been featured on Wrestling Headlines, Wrestlingnewsco, HotNewHipHop, The Hard Times and Sportskeeda.

Previously, he worked as the Editor in Chief of 24Wrestling, building the site profile with a view to selling the domain, which was accomplished in 2019. Jake was previously the Editor in Chief for FightFans, a combat sports and pro wrestling site that was launched in January 2021 and broke into millions of pageviews within the first two years. He previously worked for Snack Media and their GiveMeSport site, creating Evergreen and Trending content that would deliver pageviews via Google as the UFC and MMA SEO Lead. Jake managed to take an area of GiveMeSport that had zero traction on Organic and push it to audiences across the globe. Jake also has a record of long-term video and written interview content with the likes of the Professional Fighters League, ONE and Cage Warriors, working directly with the brands to promote bouts, fighters and special events.

He previously worked for the (then) biggest independent wrestling company in the UK, PROGRESS Wrestling, as PR Head and Head of Media across the social channels of the company.