Rhea Ripley Says She ‘Can't Escape' Fan Harassment Before WrestleMania
Rhea Ripley is heading into WrestleMania 42 weekend looking to recapture the WWE women’s championship, but she’s openly struggling on her road to the biggest event of the year.
And it has nothing to do with what’s happening in the ring.
The 29-year-old has been under the microscope for over half a decade at this point in the WWE as one of the leading faces of the women’s division, and after years of constant vitriol online, it’s caught up with the former champion.
Ripley will challenge Jade Cargill for the title on Sunday in one of the marquee matches of the weekend, but it’s been a difficult lead-up, with harassment online reaching new levels as the onscreen feud spilled into verbal jabs.
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“It’s really hard like going on to Twitter,” Ripley said on the “Pod Meets World“ podcast. “I just need to delete the app. It’s really hard going on, and like trying to make it a work environment. But then because it is a work environment, I get all these things coming up on my For You page. As soon as I click on the app, it’s just like negativity towards me. I’m like, I can’t even escape it.”
Ripley’s feud with Cargill began with a confrontation between the pair, going back and forth on each other’s physiques. Although on the surface it seemed like a straightforward storyline between the two most physically imposing women in the company, the aftermath has stuck with Ripley.
“I can’t even like doom scroll like a normal human being,” she admitted. “Like without seeing things about me, about my body, about my booking, about me as a human. They don’t know who the hell I am. It does get really tiring."
Ripley will hope to turn things around this weekend onscreen as she looks to capture her fourth women’s world title on Sunday.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 3:37 PM.