3 wrestlers WWE star Rhea Ripley dated in real life before Buddy Matthews

WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley and AEW star Buddy Matthews (FKA Buddy Murphy) started dating nearly two years ago. They got engaged in August 2023 and tied the knot in June 2024.

Before dating The Eradicator, Matthews had a romantic relationship with another top female WWE Superstar, Alexa Bliss. The 36-year-old and The Goddess even got engaged in January 2017. However, they called it off in September 2018.

Likewise, Ripley also dated other wrestlers before meeting the former AEW World Trios Champion. One of these in-ring competitors once even wrestled inside a WWE ring.

Here's a list of the three wrestlers Rhea Ripley was romantically involved with before Buddy Matthews:

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#3. Rhea Ripley dated Dane Davies in her teenage days

The Eradicator started her wrestling career as a teenager nearly a decade ago. In 2013, she joined Riot City Wrestling in her home country of Australia. Her seemingly first wrestler boyfriend, Dane Davies, also competed in the same promotion.

The couple first met when they were children. Although they started as friends, it officially turned into a romantic relationship in September 2014 as Ripley finally stopped snubbing him. In May 2015, The Eradicator sent a heartfelt message to her then-boyfriend on Instagram, expressing her love for him.

"I miss this guy more and more every day! I don't know where my life would be without him, and hell, I don't want to know! Year after year for six-plus years straight, he has lifted my spirits each time I have fallen. He has always been there for me, and I couldn't ask for a better best friend that I can now call mine! I love you, @eldanedavies, and I hope this post can cheer you up!'' she wrote.

Despite this, the former WWE Women's World Champion and Davies' romantic relationship seemingly ended shortly after they celebrated their first anniversary.

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#2. Rhea Ripley dated Jett Armstrong after breaking up with Dane Davies

After her split with Dane Davies, Rhea Ripley entered a romantic relationship with another wrestler, Jett Armstrong. While she and Dane seemingly grew up together, Armstrong was 10 years older than her.

Ripley and Armstrong's relationship came to light in late 2016 when the RAW Superstar started sharing photos of them as an item. Armstrong was competing at RCW when he and Mami got together.

Although they remained together for several months after Ripley signed with WWE in mid-2017, the couple's relationship seemingly ended in early 2018, as The Eradicator stopped sharing photos of them.

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#1. Rhea Ripley dated Demetri Jackson after joining WWE

The Eradicator's last known boyfriend before Buddy Matthews was Demetri Jackson. They started their romantic relationship in 2019 after meeting at a gym. Jackson was in the initial stages of his wrestling career after he had earned a Master's degree in Sports and Exercise Science.

In an interview with Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory in 2020, Ripley stated that she wanted to help her then-boyfriend, but Jackson wanted to succeed on his own.

"So, Kevin—he goes by Demetri—he’s only been wrestling for, I want to say a year and a-half—two years, so that’s not very long. He’s still pretty green and still has a lot to learn, but he learns super fast. I’ve been trying to help him along the way. We’ll watch matches, and I’ll sort of break it down for him and explain things. I’m always there for him because I want him to succeed. He’s been straight on not wanting too much of my help because he wants to succeed on his own; he doesn’t want me to give him anything, which I appreciate,” she said. [H/T: WrestlingInc.]

While dating Ripley, Jackson competed in a match on AEW Dark in August 2020. He also wrestled in WWE the following year. Demetri also teamed up with Andrew Lockhart against The Creed Brothers on 205 Live in October 2021. The independent wrestler's romance with The Eradicator ended in 2022.