This AEW Star Helped Rhea Ripley Buck WWE Trends

Rhea Ripley credits this woman as a mentor of sorts for her entire WWE run.

by Jamie Kennedy
Ruby Riott tattoos
Instagram, @rubyriotwwe

Rhea Ripley has always been open and honest about trying to fit in when she first joined the WWE roster back in 2017. The then-blonde realised there was still a hangover from the old "Diva" days, so she tried marrying that style with her own.

Then, she spotted current AEW star Ruby Soho.

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Soho, who was called Ruby Riott at the time, had tattoos, short hair and wasn't afraid to stand out from the crowd. That caught Rhea's eye, because she fancied being true to herself too. During a chat with the BWGS Podcast, Ripley revealed that it was Ruby who gave her the confidence to do her own thing.

The ripple effects of that influence are still being felt today. In 2024, Rhea is comfortable in her own skin on WWE TV, and knows she has the freedom to be herself. That wasn't always the case, and it wasn't until Ripley worked some tags with Ruby on NXT house shows that she started to think this way.

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Rather definitively, Ripley added: "I hate fake people, and I was one". Then, everything changed.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.