Rhea Ripley Breaks Character To Defend Maxxine Dupri After Fans Boo Her At House Show

Maxxine Dupri and Rhea Ripley on Monday Night Raw
(Image credit: WWE)

Rhea Ripley is the top heel of the women's division in the WWE, but she broke character ahead of WrestleMania 40 recently for a good reason. The Women's World Champion took a break from taunting Becky Lynch to speak to the fans after seeing a recent viral video of Maxxine Dupri. Fans decided to boo Dupri at a house show following her performance, and the Judgment Day leader didn't like seeing that one bit. 

As many superstars are preparing for WrestleMania and other upcoming WWE events, Rhea Ripley took some time to defend Maxxine Dupri after seeing a video of her making rounds on social media. The video featured several fans loudly booing her as she exited the ring and one fan shouting: "You suck, Maxxine, don't come back." Check out the video below, which Ripley shared along with her response to it: 

Ripley defended Maxxine Dupri, who only recently began having matches on WWE's main roster. It's a massive step up for someone who had no professional wrestling experience prior to her tryout, compared to a star like Ripley, who spent five years wrestling in the indies before joining the company. Even so, it's clear Ripley has compassion for Dupri's efforts, and she doesn't think it's fair for fans to put her through this. 

Maxxine Dupri continues to get chances to perform in the ring, and her position as one of the women's wrestlers lower on the totem pole allows her that opportunity. Jade Cargill, despite looking like a world-beater in AEW, hasn't been given the same amount of opportunities since signing in WWE. To date, Cargill wrestled briefly in the Royal Rumble, and that's it. 

Maxxine Dupri continues to get exposure on Monday Night Raw as a member of the Alpha Academy, but whether she'll ever work her way into the women's title scene as a legitimate contender remains to be seen. As evidenced by the things we loved about the 2024 Royal Rumble match, the women's division is as strong as it has ever been with plenty of future wrestling Hall of Famers working matches every week. Check out any women's match in the last year of pay-per-views with a Peacock Premium Subscription, and you'll see it's true. 

In truth, the standard for quality pro wrestling has increased drastically over the past decade, which is part of why WWE is on such a hot streak right now and negotiating massive deals with Netflix. The fact that decision-makers allow Dupri to wrestle on the main roster should be a show of faith that they're expecting her to improve and see the potential. 

Catch Maxxine Dupri and Rhea Ripley on Monday Night Raw, which airs on the 2024 TV schedule on USA Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. With just weeks to go before WrestleMania 40, now is the perfect time to tune in and learn about all the big things we can expect to see happen during wrestling's two biggest nights. 

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Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.