Rhea Ripley has opened up about one of the most difficult periods of her life, revealing that she suffered a panic attack and collapsed backstage during WWE’s 2025 tour of Australia.
Speaking on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, Rhea Ripley reflected on the pressure she placed on herself during the tour, which included WWE Crown Jewel in her home country. Ripley said she was trying to please everyone around her while also dealing with personal issues, including ending a friendship that was no longer healthy.
According to Ripley, she felt responsible for everything surrounding WWE’s visit to Australia, from her own performances to fans’ reactions to her fellow wrestlers. The pressure eventually became overwhelming.
“I had the people pleaser in me trying to see everyone at home. I had me trying to please everyone in Australia because I felt like the face of Australia in WWE. So I was like, I take full responsibility for everything that’s happening here. I take responsibility for how I perform. I take responsibility for how these fans treat my peers. I took responsibility for too much, and I just wanted to make sure everyone was happy. And I was just at such a really low point.”
Rhea Ripley Says She Suffered A Panic Attack At WWE Catering
After the final show of the tour, Rhea Ripley said she suffered a severe panic attack backstage in catering and physically collapsed. She revealed that she had not been eating or drinking properly and described herself as being at one of the lowest points of her life.
“I like collapsed in catering. It was bad. I had like a full panic attack and I hadn’t eaten, I hadn’t drank water, my body was shutting down, and I was probably the skinniest I’ve ever been. And I was just like dying.”
Ripley also noted that stress has previously contributed to struggles with an eating disorder, something she publicly discussed around WrestleMania 42. She credited her husband, Buddy Matthews, for providing support during those difficult periods and helping her work through the challenges.
You can personalise your Google settings to see more stories from slamwrestling.net when you search for wrestling news.
Google’s Preferred Sources feature lets you choose the websites you trust most. Once added, Google is more likely to show SLAM in Top Stories and the “from your sources” section.
- Click this link to take you directly to Google’s “Source preferences” page.
- Sign into your Google account.
- Search for slamwrestling.net.
- Tick the box next to Slam Wrestling.
Adding SLAM as a Preferred Source helps you see more of our news, features, and exclusive coverage in Google search.
