Former NXT UK Women’s champion, Rhea Ripley, issued an apology today for using a homophobic slur during a recent live Twitch stream.
Ripley sent the following message on Twitter and said the message was coming from Demi Bennett (her real name).
“I know a lot of you are upset with me after tonight, but I just wanted to publicly say that I am sorry. My brain to mouth filter came down for a second and I forgot that some words are a big no no to a lot of people. I am a firm believer that everyone should be treated equally, whether that be race or sexual orientation. With that said, I just wanted to say how dearly sorry I am to everyone that was offended by my choice of words tonight.”
Ripley was hurling a string of expletives when the slur was used. This was actually a theme of the show. Followers could donate to the stream and Ripley would insult them in response.
A user on Twitter posted a clip of her using the word:
Rhea Ripley in WWE
Ripley won the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Championship at NXT UK tapings last summer. After defending the belt twice she lost it to Toni Storm at Takeover: Blackpool in January. Ripley then dropped a subsequent rematch with Storm at the next set of tapings.
Since losing the title, however, Ripley has gone on something of a short winning streak. She defeated Xia Brookside in February and then defeated Kacy Catanzaro in a match which aired yesterday on WWE NXT UK.
