Rhea Ripley recently took to her Instagram and uploaded a gorgeous photo of herself wearing a blue top while flexing her bicep, clearly showing off her impressive gains at the gym.
Happy Mami’s Day
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Rhea Ripley, the current SmackDown Women’s Champion in WWE, has undoubtedly worked tirelessly to establish herself as one of the top female superstars in the company. Not only does she possess a unique physical presence, but her character and catchphrases have also captured the hearts of wrestling fans worldwide. Her most popular catchphrase, “Mami,” has become a fan favorite, and the wrestler recently explained how she came up with the term.
Over the years, Rhea Ripley has undergone numerous transformations, experimenting with different looks and characters to find her niche. Her current gimmick, however, has been her most successful yet. Her pairing with Dominik Mysterio, the son of WWE legend Rey Mysterio, has proven to be a massive hit with fans. The two wrestlers act lovey-dovey with each other, and Dominik affectionately refers to Rhea Ripley as “Mami.”
During an interview with The Ringer’s Pete Rosenberg, the SmackDown Women’s Champion revealed the origin story of her popular catchphrase. It all began with her eventual feud with Rey Mysterio, which she was informed of during her recovery from a knee injury.
To cause a stir, Rhea ordered an Eddie Guerrero shirt that read “I’m your Papi” and wore it during her return to the ring, knowing that it would be Rey’s anniversary soon. The internet erupted with excitement, with fans referring to her as “Papi” and other fun nicknames. She decided to continue with the gimmick and suggested that they create more merchandise to sell. However, the WWE team decided to change “Papi” to “Mami,” which is a popular term of endearment in Hispanic culture.
“First I had that number one contender match, that Fatal 4-Way, and I kneed myself in the face. So I pushed my tooth back and rocked myself a little bit. I knew that I had a few weeks off. I was like, I know I’m coming back soon. I got told that I was coming back when it was Rey’s anniversary.
So me being the little menace that I am, I was like, you know what? I ordered an Eddie Guerrero shirt, the one that said, ‘I’m your Papi’, and I was like, I’m just gonna wear it and see what happens. I wore it and the internet exploded.
People went wild. They started calling me Papi and all of that fun stuff. I sort of just kept running with it. Eventually, I was like, ‘Yo, we should make some more shirts’, but they were like, ‘Maybe we’ll change it in Mami’, so that’s where Mami came from. but that was the start of this whole wild ride with Dominik and the Mysterio family with the Judgment Day sort of thing.”
This catchphrase has played a significant role in the recent storyline involving Rhea Ripley and the Mysterio family, which began with the Judgment Day event. The wrestler also recently defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship title successfully against Zelina Vega at the WWE Backlash Premium Live Event. Fans are eagerly waiting to see who her next challenger will be.
Overall, Rhea Ripley’s “Mami” catchphrase is a testament to her creativity and ingenuity. Her ability to create something unique and memorable out of a chance moment has endeared her to fans worldwide and cemented her status as one of WWE’s top female superstars.
