Wrestling veteran Vince Russo has publicly expressed frustration with Rhea Ripley’s handling of a recent incident involving fans. Speaking on this week’s episode of Writing With Russo, he stated that the WWE star overreacted to the situation and argued that she should have been more responsible for her own safety, questioning her expectations of privacy as a public figure.
The incident Russo addressed occurred in Paris just before the Clash in Paris show on August 31. While attempting to enter an Uber, Ripley was surrounded by a group of fans. The encounter, which began with requests for selfies, escalated to the point where she was pushed against the vehicle by the crowd and was reportedly left shaken.
Following the event, Ripley posted a message on social media addressing the need for fans to respect personal space and boundaries. She emphasized that her concern was for safety, not a complaint about stardom, and hinted that continued boundary-pushing could elicit her more aggressive “Mami” persona.
Russo, however, offered a different perspective on the matter, directly challenging the severity of the incident and Ripley’s reaction.
“With all due respect, that was not a swarm. It was 7 guys doing this (mimics taking a selfie). That’s what it was,” Russo said. “I swear to God bro, seriously what do you think? You’re gonna be a public figure, you’re gonna be out there, you are gonna be making millions and millions of dollars, but everybody is gonna leave you alone? Seriously man.”
This exchange comes at a time of heightened awareness around fan interactions with female performers. Earlier this year, Liv Morgan was involved in a situation with a stalker, and in June, a fan was arrested in connection with an incident involving Roxanne Perez at an NXT taping.