Rhea Ripley’s Personal Life, Sexuality & Relationship

Rhea Ripley (birth name Demi Bennett), born 11 October 1996 in Adelaide, South Australia, has become one of WWE’s most dominant and charismatic stars

Fans often respect her intense metal-acer persona, gothic style, and unwavering grit in and out of the ring. That same image has sparked speculation about her gender and sexual orientation.

In this article we explore directly: Is Rhea Ripley trans? Is she lesbian or perhaps bisexual? And what is publicly confirmed about her personal life, relationship status, and identity?

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Is Rhea Ripley trans?

• No credible evidence indicates Rhea Ripley is transgender. Her birth name, appearance, public identity, and past interviews all align with her being cisgender female. No source suggests otherwise.

• Online speculation or fan assumptions based on her aesthetic or persona do not make her trans. In fan forums some cis women admired her style, but never claimed she had transitioned herself.¹

• In short: Rhea Ripley is not transgender.

Quick Facts

 

Is Rhea Ripley lesbian?

• This too is not confirmed. Public record does not show Rhea Ripley identifying as lesbian in adulthood.

• Early in life (reportedly around 2010, when she was ≈ 14), she told Ok! Magazine she was lesbian, and in later interviews said she was bisexual or “bi-curious”.²

• She has dated men most notably AEW’s Buddy Matthews, now husband—and earlier relationships include men (Demetri Jackson).

#BabyUce ❤️

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) August 19, 2025

• No public statement or interview states she currently identifies as lesbian.

• Therefore: while she may have explored same-sex attraction earlier, her adult self has not adopted the label “lesbian.” Many sources suggest bisexuality or evolution beyond one label. At present, she appears heterosexual in public, in a same-sex-relationship-context-absent narrative.

Also Read: Bobby Lashley Fuels Speculation of Reunion With Ex-WWE Star

Relationship Timeline & Privacy

• 2022: Rhea and fellow Australian wrestler Matthew Adams (Buddy Matthews) began dating publicly.³

• August 2023: They announced engagement.⁴

• June 2024: They married in a gothic wedding ceremony, widely shared on Instagram and covered in media. Ripley wore black gown; Matthews wore dark suit.⁵

• Ripley often posts photos of workouts, couple time, and life-on-the-road with Matthews.⁶

• She remains private on other aspects of personal life—not discussing children plans in detail, but in one interview said she does not want children for perhaps 10 years due to WWE travel demands.⁷

• Some older fan-made sources speculated about marriage previously; those lacked confirmation and were outdated or incorrect.

Public identity & LGBTQ+ support

• Ripley has supported LGBTQ+ rights and been seen as an empowering figure for queer wrestling fans even if she has not claimed an LGBTQ+ identity herself.

• For example, fans on Reddit (including queer and trans fans) wrote how seeing her body confidence and style felt affirming without claiming she is queer.

• She is often regarded as a role model for strength and individuality regardless of orientation.

 

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FAQ’s

Q1: Has Rhea Ripley ever said “I am transgender”?

A: No. There is no record or credible report of Ripley saying she is trans. She was assigned female at birth and has lived publicly as a cisgender woman.

Q2: Did she come out as lesbian or bisexual at any time?

A: Early in life (around 2010) she reportedly said she was lesbian, and later said she was “bi-curious” or bisexual in interviews. However, as an adult she has not maintained the lesbian label and appears to be in a heterosexual marriage.

Q3: Does dating a man now mean she was never LGBTQ+?

A: Not necessarily. Sexual orientation can evolve or be fluid. Some early reports show she explored same-sex attraction. But her current relationship is heterosexual. She has not explicitly identified as bisexual publicly in recent years, so while past orientation exploration is documented, current identity labels are not publicly adopted.

Q4: Is Rhea Ripley an LGBTQ+ ally?

A: Yes. She has spoken out against homophobia and transphobia, and fans see her as a positive representation of queer-friendly strength.

Q5: Who is her husband? When did they marry?

A: She married Matthew Adams, professionally Buddy Matthews, a fellow Australian wrestler in AEW. They began dating in 2022, got engaged August 2023, and married in a gothic ceremony in June 2024.

Q6: Does she want kids?

A: In one interview she said she does not want children for about 5-10 years, because touring makes parenting hard. No other statements about future family plans are public.

Q7: Has she ever dated women publicly?

A: No confirmed public same-sex relationships as an adult. Past dating history includes men; early statements reflect exploration as a teen. No adult same-sex relationships are documented or confirmed.

Q8: Does she identify as bisexual now?

A: She has not publicly used the bisexual label recently. Some online biographies list bisexual, based on past interviews. But Ripley herself has not made a clear statement in recent years to that effect.

Conclusion

While she reportedly identified as lesbian or bisexual early on, her current adult identity and marriage are heterosexual. She has not claimed a lesbian identity recently, though past statements suggest she explored same-sex attraction.

She remains private about personal identity beyond her ring persona. She is married to Buddy Matthews, identifies publicly via she/her pronouns, and is celebrated as a supportive figure for LGBTQ+ fans.

At heart, Rhea Ripley’s power lies in her strength, athleticism, and authenticity—not any one sexual or gender label.

Also Read: Kairi Sane Just Made WWE History: Fans Celebrating Queen’s Return to Glory

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