Rhea Ripley made a huge impact when she entered the Royal Rumble, and it came down to her and Bianca Belair before Belair took the ultimate victory. Ripley’s future is still unknown, as it hasn’t been revealed whether she will follow up her stellar NXT run on Raw or SmackDown, but we do know she is sporting a new look thanks to a post on her Instagram. Ripley posted a photo from what appears to be an official WWE photoshoot, showing off a new look for the powerhouse star.
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She’s sporting a changed up hairstyle and all-new ring gear. Gone is the red and black gear with the spikes and chains and in its place is a sleek black top with a black skirt and a black leather jacket, with black boots capping off the outfit.
View this post on Instagram
It’s a big departure from what we normally see Ripley in the ring with, and could be what she’ll debut in when she makes the jump to one of the other brands. You can see the look for yourself below.
“I’m an odd combination of “Really Sweet” and “Don’t Mess With Me!” 🤷🏼♀️ 📸 – @johnnyphotowwe”
Now, I’m normally not a fan of a star being repackaged just for the sake of doing it, as we’ve seen countless NXT stars hampered with gear, music, and booking that makes it harder for them to get a foothold on other brands. Hopefully, the same fiery badass that fans have come to know is front and center on whatever brand she ends up on, and if that’s the case we’ll all be happy, regardless of what gear she shows up in.
While I would love for her to end up on SmackDown, she very well might end up on Raw, at least at first. The Rhea Charlotte angle pretty much writes itself, and allowing Ripley to get that win over Charlotte would help put that bad booking decision down for good and help her move forward.
Then she could go to SmackDown and enter into a battle with Belair, Sasha Banks, or whoever is currently Champion at that time, and either of those would make for great matches, so hopefully that all happens.
What do you think of Ripley’s new look? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things WWE and NXT with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
