It’s been a year of growth, learning and major change for WWE star Rhea Ripley — both inside and outside of the ring.
Ripley, 28, who will challenge for the WWE Women’s World Championship against champion Iyo Sky and Bianca Belair on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 on Sunday, April 20, got married to pro wrestler Buddy Matthews in June 2024.
Matthews, 36, previously wrestled in WWE, but is now part of the roster in All Elite Wrestling. Given their chaotic — and often conflicting — travel schedules, Ripley admitted the first year of marriage hasn’t always been a walk in the park.
“Not being around each other 24/7 has been hard — it really is hard,” Ripley exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her partnership with C4 Energy. “I miss being home, I miss the dogs, I miss everything.”
However, Ripley noted, “He always said to me that distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
“When we are together, we’re just such similar people,” Ripley continued. “Like, we’re literally the same person. Anything that I hate in him is something that I would probably be doing, too. I can give him that leniency because I’m just like, ‘OK, I’m annoying, too.’”
When Ripley and Matthews do find themselves at home at the same time, she explained that wrestling is often the last thing on their minds.
“Normally, we don’t talk about work,” she said. “When I come home from being on the road, I’ll tell him how everything went. I’ll vent if I need to vent. It’s the same when he comes back, as well. But that’s about it. Other than that, we don’t really talk about work because we like doing so many other things. He’s literally my best friend and everything that we do is so much fun.”
Ripley added, “We have fun going to the gym together. That’s one thing we do every single day. Even if we don’t work out together, we’re still sending each other messages or walking past and talking to each other.”
Ripley will kick off a long WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas with a meet-and-greet at WSKY Bar + Grill on Thursday, April 17, from 5-7 pm local time.
The superstar gushed about the opportunities she gets to interact with her fans, who sometimes wait “for literal hours” to see her.
“I love being able to meet them and hear some of their stories,” Ripley said. “I don’t like when it’s super rushed. I actually want to hear what they have to say. Sometimes it’s so meaningful and sometimes they really do need that extra minute or two minutes just to let out some tears or give a little thank you or give me a gift, or whatever it is.”
Ripley added, “It’s a really special moment for me.”
Nights 1 and 2 of WrestleMania 41 stream live Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, respectively, at 7 p.m. ET on Peacock.
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