NXT Superstar Rhea Ripley has talked about the relief she felt after opening up about her mental health issues. Ripley first did so last year as a guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory. Now, one year later, she has reflected on how being open and honest with herself has helped her.
“It feels like a weight that’s been lifted off my shoulders. Just like talking about it as well which is nice,” Ripley said. “I’m very glad that the conversation went that way cause like you said there is a lot of bullying and suicides especially like in the sport and it’s really, really sad. Like I always see posts coming up every now and then of like someone new that has passed away and it makes me really mad and sad cause like like they could have help…”
Garcia noted how Ripley’s disclosure came a week after Toni Storm’s similar confession. Despite having been friends for almost a decade, however, neither woman knew the other was suffering the way they were. They have since spoken to each other and now support one another, especially as they are so far from their home country of Australia.
“[…] it’s very lonely here at times so I’m glad that she’s now here and we can help each other out,” Ripley said, “especially knowing each other’s stories like now, so yeah.”
“Communication Is Key”
Talking about her mental health issues has helped Rhea Ripley learn a lot about herself. She reflected on how she used to bottle things up growing up. Ripley refused to tell anyone about how she was feeling, leading her to feel as though she would “snap and absolutely lose my mind and it would create fights with my friends, with my parents with other family members and it wasn’t fun.”
She acknowledged she has since matured and now understands that “communication is key.” Ripley explained how giving voice to your issues helps in letting them go. She confessed it’s been a long journey to come to that realization, but she finally understands it.
Rhea Ripley addressed her NXT status during last week’s episode. She will be a part of Team Shotzi versus Team Candice at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames takes place on December 6th from NXT’s Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL.
