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Rhea Ripley Breaks the Hearts of the WWE Universe, Announces Engagement
Rhea Ripley shared some personal news on her Instagram letting the WWE Universe know she's officially engaged (not to Dominik).
Our sincere condolences to Dominik Mysterio – this one has to hurt!
While the WWE Universe has noticed the undeniable chemistry between The Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, sometimes real life gets in the way of workplace romances. The reigning Women's World Champion took to Instagram on August 9 to announce her engagement to long-time boyfriend, Buddy Matthews!
Rhea Ripley Announces Engagement
From the looks of both Rhea's and Buddy's Instagram posts, it looks like Buddy popped the all-important question while the two were spending quality time together in Cocoa Beach, Florida – not the worst place in the world to stage a proposal! As predicted, the happy couple is beaming. A quick glance at Rhea's caption says it all.
"1000x YES! Pure F–cking happiness!" she wrote underneath an adorable beachside photo of the duo.
Her fellow Superstars showed their love and took to Rhea's comment section to offer their heartfelt congratulations. Bianca Belair, Bayley, Sonya Deville, and Alexa Bliss were just a few of the people – along with the rest of the WWE Universe, of course.
Who is Buddy Matthews, Rhea Ripley's Future Husband?
While Buddy Matthews no longer shares a locker room with his fiancee, his wrestling career is still going strong, routinely competing for other U.S.-based promotions in 2023. Savvy WWE fans will remember Buddy competing under the name Buddy Murphy for nearly eight years, starting in NXT and eventually working his way to the main roster.
Buddy is one of the handful of ex-WWE Superstars to hold a definitive pinfall victory over the current World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. Buddy scored this all-important win over Rollins in 2020 when he was embroiled in a storyline involving Rey Mysterio, his daughter, and his son, Dominik Mysterio! Funny how life works out sometimes, doesn't it?
While his win over Rollins is arguably the biggest of his WWE career, Buddy rose to prominence in the Cruiserweight division, having endless exciting matches with Superstars like Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese, and Mustafa Ali. His hybrid hard-hitting in-ring style, agility, and impressive physique elevated him into the upper echelon of performers from day one.
How Long Have Rhea Ripley and Buddy Matthews Been Together?
According to reports, Rhea and Buddy have been a couple since May 2020. Like most wrestling couples, their mutual appreciation for the sports entertainment industry combined with their natural chemistry to form a bond that clearly won't break anytime soon!
While the WWE Universe loves the on-screen pairing of Rhea and Dom-Dom, the prospect of Buddy returning to WWE is intriguing. During an interview earlier this year, Rhea spoke about possibly reuniting in WWE with her now-fiance.
"Maybe, maybe," Rhea confessed in April 2023. "So, I'm very convincing. I'm a very convincing girl, you know? I normally get what I want. So, it might happen, you never know. But right now I'm happy with my Dom-Dom. I'm happy going out there with him and Finn and Damian. I mean, you never know what the future holds. It might happen."
Between Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, Carmella and Corey Graves, and other WWE power couples, we think there's plenty of room for Buddy to return to WWE alongside Rhea – something tells us he'd be a perfect fit in The Judgment Day (but don't tell Dominik Mysterio we said that).
Where Does This Leave Dominik Mysterio?
Of course, Dominik Mysterio – who famously plays Rhea Ripley's love interest on WWE television – can't be hurting too much; he became engaged to his girlfriend of 11 years back in January. (For the record, Rhea offered her heartfelt congratulations in Dom-Dom's comment section!)
To say 2023 has been a successful year for Rhea Ripley would be an understatement. Between helping guide The Judgment Day to new heights, capturing the WWE Women's World Championship from Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, and getting engaged to her long-time beau, you can argue that no other Superstar has come close to having the year Rhea is having! The best part? There are still nearly five months left in the calendar year, which makes you think:
What else is Rhea Ripley going to accomplish in 2023?
You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Payback on September 2. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.
