Rhea Ripley is preparing for an emotional weekend ahead of WWE Clash in Italy, but a recent story about her late grandmother showed that support for “The Eradicator” has always come with plenty of passion.
Speaking about an early match from her independent wrestling days on What’s Your Story? With Steph McMahon, Ripley recalled a moment that nearly turned a fan into an unexpected ringside enforcer.
The WWE Women’s Champion recently shared the memory while reflecting on her close relationship with her grandmother.
The story dates back to Ripley’s 18th birthday, when she wrestled in Australia and decided to take a particularly risky bump in front of family members.
Rhea Ripley recalls her Grandmother’s fierce reaction to chair shot
According to Ripley, the situation escalated the moment she took a steel chair shot to the head.
“She came to one of my matches on my 18th birthday. It was like on my birthday,” Ripley said. “I pitched to take a chair shot to the head… I took it, and the whole chair broke completely.”
While the crowd reacted to the dramatic spot, nobody was more fired up than her grandmother.
“My nana lost her [expletive], and she nearly jumped the barricade,” Ripley recalled. “And she’s like an old lady at this point, too. But she was all fired up. She was ready to kill.”
For wrestling fans, it sounds like Ripley’s grandmother was ready to cash in her own version of a Money in the Bank contract. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed before the situation could become a real-life run-in.
The story has resurfaced at a meaningful time in Ripley’s career. She recently revealed that she is dedicating her upcoming WWE Women’s Championship defense against Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy to her late grandmother, who passed away in April 2023.
With WWE’s first Premium Live Event in Italy carrying special significance because of her family’s Italian heritage, the championship match represents far more than a title defense. As Ripley heads into Clash in Italy, she’ll do so carrying both championship gold and the memory of a family member who was clearly one of her biggest supporters.
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