Rhea Ripley, one of the most prominent figures in WWE’s women’s division, is widely known by the moniker “Mami.” However, the superstar recently revealed that this was not her first choice and that she initially pushed for a very different nickname before the company intervened.
During a conversation with Chris Van Vliet, Ripley disclosed that she actively campaigned to be called “Papi.” She explained that the idea was promptly turned down by WWE management, with her Judgment Day stablemate Damian Priest ultimately suggesting the alternative that stuck.
“No, I was trying to push the Papi agenda. And they were like, ‘Yeah, we can’t do that.’ And then Priest was like, ‘What about Mami?’ I was like, Okay, guess I’ll be Mami. I was really set on the Papi thing. I was like, I can be a little s**t stirrer, just be Papi this, Papi that. But they’re like, we just can’t go there. And I was like, ‘Okay, I respect that.’ Mami’s gonna grow on me, though,” Ripley said.
The tough “Mami” persona has come at a significant physical cost. Ripley has been grappling with a chronic lower back injury for years, an issue she traces back to a specific spot in an NXT match against Raquel Rodriguez where she landed awkwardly on the edge of an announce table.
The pain became so severe leading up to WrestleMania 41 that she feared she would be unable to compete. Ripley detailed how she relied on extensive work from her masseuse for two nights just to be able to walk and participate in her championship match, a problem she admits is compounded by her own lack of stretching.