When you watch Rhea Ripley, you see a force of destruction. You see the raw power in her Riptide finisher, the intimidating swagger in her every step, and the gothic, punk-rock aesthetic that screams “The boss.”
She is “The Eradicator”, a powerhouse who feels less like a creation of the WWE Performance Center and more like something conjured up in a wrestling fan’s dreams.
We associate her with heavy metal, weight rooms, and sheer, unapologetic dominance. But what if I told you the foundation for this brutal ballet was forged not with barbells, but with a ball at her feet?
What if I told you that before she was a champion in the squared circle, Rhea Ripley was mastering the art of the beautiful game?
That’s right. Before the suplexes and the sold-out arenas, Demi Bennett, aka Rhea Ripley from Adelaide, Australia, was a star on the soccer pitch. She was a key player for her local club, Fulham United, and was just one of several sports she excelled in, alongside rugby, karate, and swimming.
Now, on the surface, the two sports couldn’t seem more different. One is a game of finesse and endurance played on a sprawling field; the other is a contest of strength and storytelling within a 20×20 ring.
But when you look closer, when you analyze the specific athletic traits that make Rhea Ripley so special, the pieces of her past suddenly click into place. This isn’t just a fun trivia fact; it’s the very secret to her unique in-ring style.
The Unseen Engine: Stamina and Footwork
The first thing any serious soccer player develops is an elite cardiovascular engine. The game is 90 minutes of near-constant motion, a grueling test of stamina.
In an interview with Matt Hewson, Rhea Ripley recalled:
“I played soccer for 9 years, and I really thought I had a future in that.”
This is Rhea’s unseen advantage. In those long, draining championship matches where other competitors begin to fade, Ripley’s gas tank seems almost endless.
That ability to perform at a peak level in the 20th minute of a match is a direct inheritance from her days spent chasing a ball up and down the field.
But it’s the footwork that’s truly fascinating. Watch her closely. For a woman with so much power and muscle, her agility is impressive. The way she glides, changes direction, and positions herself for a dropkick has all the hallmarks of a midfielder of a soccer game.
That nimble, balanced footwork prevents her from ever looking clumsy or slow, a trap that many other power-based wrestlers fall into.
From Field Vision to Ring Awareness
Great soccer players are praised for their “vision”—their innate ability to see the entire field, track multiple players at once, and anticipate the flow of the game.
Translate that to a wrestling ring. Rhea’s awareness in the ring is outstanding. She has a talent for sensing spacing, knowing where her opponent is, where the ropes are, and even where the hard-cam is. This sets good wrestlers apart from great ones.
Interestingly, even fans have noticed her soccer instincts lingering. In a Reddit thread, one user remarked after seeing her juggle a ball with ease:
“Yo wtf I didn’t realize she could actually juggle… she must have played a fair bit if she retains that level of motor control of her feet having not played it since she was a teenager.”
That kind of control and comfort with a ball doesn’t just disappear, it transitions into footwork and agility inside the ring.
It’s not just about performing a perfect move in the ring; it’s also about the whole game sense amid the chaos of the match. That instinct, built over years of watching a messy soccer field, now allows her to take charge in the ring with the confidence of a skilled leader.
The Forged Aggression
Let’s not forget the competitive spirit. Rhea grew up competing on teams with boys, and that meant playing harder, hitting stronger, and refusing to back down.
She didn’t act tough to stand out; she had to be tough to survive. That same edge she built on the field now fuels the dominance she shows in the ring.
In an interview with InStyle, Ripley herself has put it:
“It’s been very wonderful to watch and to see how much effort all the women put in and how hard we push ourselves to prove that we are on the same level as the guys.”
The “Mami” who backs down from no one was born from the girl who refused to be pushed around on the field.
So the next time you see Rhea Ripley delivering a devastating headbutt or a lightning-fast dropkick, remember you’re not just seeing a WWE Superstar, you’re seeing an athlete who first learned to dominate in an entirely different sport.
The weight room may have built her intimidating physique, but it was the soccer pitch that secretly forged the elite, once-in-a-generation athlete we see today.
