10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Rhea Ripley

8. The Live Stream Slur

Buried not that deep within the filthy bowels of WWE's history exist a slew of regrettable remarks made by countless wrestlers that have since been lionised for more than they deserve. Loads of them are with a company microphone in hand and readily available on the Network until Peacock finishes scrubbing the worst of it.

Rhea Ripley's incredibly thoughtless 2019 indiscretion perhaps doesn't stack up against some of those untold horrors, but 'The Nightmare's careless moment during a live stream is one the company and Ripley herself likely hopes stays relatively invisible.

Conscious of the slur and the immediate backlash she received from disappointed LGBTQ+ fans as well as the wrestling fanbase at large, Ripley was quick to take to Twitter and apologise in a message typed as herself, not her pro wrestling character. This seemed to go some way to easing hostilities, and certainly highlighted her willingness to engage with the problem she'd created after such a thoughtless choice.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett