'Probably get arrested': Wild persona behind Aussie WWE trailblazer Rhea Ripley

By her own admission, the Rhea Ripley that became Australia's first WWE women's world champion was a far cry from the one that first left the country to pursue her wrestling dream.

Ripley's path to WWE stardom is one rarely walked, although in the Adelaide native's case she might as well have sprinted it.

'MY HEART IS BROKEN': WWE mourns tragic death of icon Scott Hall

'F***ING MADE IT': Tyson Fury's shock announcement stuns fans

Riot City Wrestling was where Ripley made her wrestling debut as a teenager, under her real name of Demi Bennett.

She plied her trade in Adelaide for a few years before the WWE came calling, looking to sign her to their NXT brand, a developmental space where the next stars of Smackdown or Raw hone their craft.

The deal saw Ripley compete in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, named after the pioneering wrestler, in 2017 and 2018.

It was her performance at the second of these events that catapulted her to the next level, with the WWE sending Ripley to the UK, where she broke out as one of the most popular wrestlers on NXT UK.

"I was 20 years old at the first Mae Young Classic, I was so nervous but so excited," she told Yahoo Sport Australia.

Few knew at the time, but Ripley was at a crossroads with wrestling after the 2017 tournament.

But something clicked in 2018.

Fears, doubts, cares were cast aside as the 'real' Rhea Ripley emerged in 2018 - an 'amped up' version of the brawling South Australian who would, by her own admission, 'probably be arrested if I acted like that in public'.

But that self-assuredness was plain for all to see, and the difficulties of having to discover who she wanted to be both in and out of the ring had clearly been resolved as she burst onto the WWE scene in America.

Ripley made her debut on WWE Raw in style, challenging a childhood hero in Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship - which she subsequently won in February that year.

Winning a championship at her second Wrestlemania - after her first was held without fans in attendance in 2020 - was a feeling Ripley couldn't describe.

"There was no crowd at my first Wrestlemania, zero people in attendance which was wild in itself," Ripley said.

"This time I got the crowd on New Year's Day, I got everything i could have dreamed of.

"To hear my name, as Raw Women’s Champion in same sentence, plus the 'from Adelaide, South Australia' at the end,

"Man, it was such a wild feeling.

"I don’t even know what emotion would really describe it, don’t know what the emotions actually were."

Rhea Ripley determined to bring women's wrestling to next level

If you haven't seen Ripley wrestle, buckle up - the 25-year-old doesn't take any prisoners.

Known for her brawling style and somewhat antagonistic relationship with the rest of the WWE cast, Ripley believes women's wrestling is in a good place - but she's hungry for more.

"There’s only one way women’s wrestling will go, that’s up. We’re not willing to let it go down," she said.

"We’re all fighting, all trying to excel at the women’s division and I think it’s working.

"The women before us paved the way, fought for every opportunity they got and it has paid off because of the opportunities we get today."

Ripley has allied with Nikki A.S.H. for the upcoming Women's Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemania, with the Aussie firmly believing the tag event has substantially more to offer the WWE than the current billing would suggest.

Her enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries extends to the training ring as well, where Ripley has honed her skills with the likes of former WWE competitor Cesaro.

Ripley's signature move, the Riptide, has only become more iconic thanks to the Swiss wrestler's influence.

"The Riptide was perfect for me," Ripley said when asked about how one goes about developing a signature wrestling move.

"It was tough when I first started because there are so many rules, so many moves that have been used already and you don't want to step on anyone's toes.

"But the Riptide was perfect - for starter's I can deadlift anyone I want, which is fantastic.

"I can do it anywhere, but I was really sceptical about doing it from the ropes. I was really glad Cesaro was there, he's such a smart man when it comes to this business, how to do so many things."

Fans will be able to play as Ripley in the upcoming release of WWE 2K22 - with the Aussie star still amused by her appearance in one of the most well known gaming franchises today.

For now, it's the next best thing to seeing Ripley in person, and with Australia's borders opening up to the rest of the world once more, she's hoping to bring the show home sooner rather than later.

Yahoo Sport Australia's interview with Rhea Ripley was facilitated by 2k Games, publishers of WWE 2K.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.