50 Best Wrestlers Of The 2020s (So Far)
22. Rhea Ripley
WWE hasn’t always maximised Rhea Ripley’s potential as a wrestler, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the defining stars of the 2020s so far.
After breaking through in NXT with title reigns and a standout performance at Survivor Series 2019, Ripley entered the decade as one of the company’s brightest prospects. Her WrestleMania 36 match with Charlotte Flair was a coming-out party that nobody could attend, and in the years that followed, their chemistry kept her head above water. Grisly battles in 2021 were the some of the best of the year in an off-the-rails WWE, and they toasted their collective brilliance two years later. By then Ripley had evolved into one of the company’s most recognisable names, and after winning the Women’s Royal Rumble from the Number One spot, she dethroned 'The Queen' in a show-stealing WrestleMania 39 rematch that stands tall as one of WWE’s best women’s matches ever.
Her journey between 2022 and 2025 has helped reshape the perception of what a modern top female star looks like. Her presence as the enforcer and breakout attraction of The Judgment Day turned the faction into a genuine main event force, and her chemistry with Dominik Mysterio brought out menace and charm in both. Traits that then also aided Liv Morgan in her own ascension during their hugely successful 2024 series.
Ripley's eventual babyface turn was sparked by crowd reactions that were impossible, and the move confirmed her as one of WWE's elite tier names. Still only in her late 20s, 'Mami' feels like a foundational piece of WWE's future.