There’s a lot of tribalism in pro wrestling, mostly created by passionate mat fans who favor one promotion over another. The wrestler’s themselves are far more united however, as the recent announcement that AEW’s Buddy Matthews and WWE’s Rhea Ripley tied the knot and exchanged vows making it official!
“Til death 23.06.24,” wrote Ripley on her heartwarming Instagram post on Thursday, confirming that the crushing couple had become wed the Sunday before. They say that those who play together, stay together, and while both started out pro wrestling in their home country of Australia, where they first met, the duo has more recently endured time apart on the road as a couple; performing for different organisations in the United States. But by making sure to engage in sweat filled workouts and steamy vacations together whenever time allows, their bond has not been broken.
Buddy Matthews and Rhea Ripley: the wedding, the details. 35-year-old Matthews, originally from Melbourne, is a former cruiserweight and tag team champion in WWE. Having signed with AEW in 2022, he has also lifted the AEW trios tag title. Ripley, 27, has meanwhile, become one of WWE’s biggest stars and has held a raft of titles there, most recently beating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 for the women’s world championship. And, while an injured right arm forced her to step away from the ring temporarily, it seems that Ripley and Matthews have been putting the extra free time to great use.
Having announced their engagement in August, 2023, the couple opted to forego tradition with Ripley choosing a classy, gothic style black dress for the nuptuals. Matthews followed suit with the all-black approach, wearing an ornate jacket and black shirt. Speaking of the trials and tribulation of her challenging career, Rhea has previously said of her new husband; “Even when life puts hurdles in my way, I can always trust you to make me smile.” The world has surely smiled back as the responses via Instagram say it all. “Congrats!!!,” wrote fellow wrestler Bianca Belair. A sentiment that was echoed by their peers in both the WWE and AEW locker rooms. Some fans, however, joked that they were heartbroken to see Ripley marry. “I just saw a guy fall to his knees in Walmart,” quipped a witty follower.
M&F wishes the powerful pair a long and happy future together!
