Worrying footage surfaces of Aussie WWE champion Rhea Ripley looking overwhelmed as she is swarmed by fans at the airport and asks is she can leave: Wrestling star later complains of being followed after refusing photos
Concerning footage has emerged of Australian WWE superstar Rhea Ripley looking stressed and overwhelmed while being swarmed by fans at the airport recently.
A video of the SmackDown Women’s Champion signing autographs while seemingly in distress was widely shared on Twitter last month, prompting some wrestling fans to say the autograph hunters – who were mostly young men – had gone too far.
Adelaide-born Ripley, whose real name is Demi Bennett, was clearly exhausted when the group of men wouldn’t back down even when she said she wanted to leave.
According to the TikTok user who uploaded the footage, the 26-year-old grappler asked, ‘Do you mind if I go?’
‘It’s so upsetting that she thinks she has to ask,’ the TikTok user wrote in the caption. ‘A large crowd of men… It must be so intimidating.’
Concerning footage has emerged of Australian WWE superstar Rhea Ripley looking stressed and overwhelmed while being swarmed by fans at the airport recently
A Twitter fan page for Ripley later reposted the video, where it was viewed millions of times, alongside the caption: ‘This is so sad honestly. You can easily tell she’s tired and annoyed by it.’
Following the incident, Ripley opened up about the situation to the USA Network and explained how things escalated when she declined to sign merchandise for one fan.
This fan’s request encouraged others to do the same and she became overwhelmed. Her anxiety only grew when the group started to follow her when she walked away.
A video of the SmackDown Women’s Champion signing autographs while seemingly in distress was widely shared on Twitter last month, prompting some wrestling fans to say the autograph hunters – who were mostly young men – had gone too far
Adelaide-born Ripley, whose real name is Demi Bennett, was clearly exhausted when the group of men wouldn’t back down even when she said she wanted to leave
‘It’s sort of an entitled thing when some fans expect us to just do it and they start making a fuss if we say no,’ she said.
‘So I had a fan follow me outside the airport today because I said no to them because I didn’t have the time and it was all of the same stuff they wanted signed.
‘It was one fan specifically, he’s notorious, he’s always at the airport getting our signatures and selling them on eBay. We know his face, we know who he is.
Following the incident, Ripley opened up about the situation to the USA Network and explained how things escalated when she declined to sign merchandise for one fan. This fan’s request encouraged others to do the same and she became overwhelmed
‘He was the main instigator, he followed me out and others followed him too and they all followed me as I’m trying to find my Uber.
‘So I’m trying to tell them no and they’re all being persistent and I ended up getting lost – I had no idea where my Uber was, and I ended up down the stairs away from everyone else and I’m just surrounded by these five guys and they’re just hassling me.
‘I don’t think people understand how threatening that is. Especially because you don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know these people.’
She also addressed the moment on Twitter, giving fans a stern warning.
The WWE superstar addressed the incident on Twitter, giving fans a stern warning. ‘People need to respect that no means no!’ she tweeted
‘People need to respect that no means no!’ she tweeted.
‘At airports do not follow me outside. Today has put me off completely! I will not sign anything that isn’t a personal photo of us anymore.’
She added: ‘Hate me, I don’t care. Disagree with me, try putting yourselves in our shoes for one bloody day.’
Ripley became the first Aussie to win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37 in 2021.
She soon became known for her taxing hardcore-style matches – and while the results are pre-determined, there’s nothing fake about being slammed onto a pile of thumb tacks or thrown off a ladder into a table.
Ripley became the first Aussie to win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37 in 2021
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk