this is an inkling of a rhea ripley x reader fanfic that i want to write⌠so i decided to post to see if itâd get any traction. feel free to share any thoughts or ideas you have! iâm open.
starting off strong
itâs the wednesday evening before your first appearance on raw. to prepare, youâve been putting off training. for some reason, youâre reluctant to go to the performance center. maybe itâs the doubt and the insecurities, but you keep telling yourself you need this. this upcoming monday night raw might be a typical week for everyone else, but for you, this is your introduction to the WWE. thereâs no way in hell youâre going to have a bad first impression, despite not having a match to prepare for.
so far, youâve had a decent run on nxt. going by the in-ring name, polaris, you made an impression on the nxt audience with your scrappy in-ring style and quick thinking. your time on the developmental roster earned you some title matches, but you always fell short and never won a championship. you wouldnât call yourself the biggest eyecatcher on the roster, but thankfully, it was enough for management to notice you. they signed you onto raw, saying your spunky attitude was reminiscent of the divas era. despite never being a champion, they still rooted for you.
because of this, you have been determined to improve your skills. youâve been on a strict diet, improving your sleep schedule, and training harder in the gym. for some reason, todayâs been one of the days your motivation is shot and you struggle to push yourself. doubts of whether youâre worthy enough for the main roster riddle your subconscious, and despite being signed, you feel like itâs winning. although some of your title matches were close calls, you were overpowered each time and the champion always retained against you.
eventually, you mustered up the courage to go. following a semi-confident pep talk in the mirror and putting your favorite gym set on as an incentive, you finished packing your bag and head over to the gym. usually, you would make conversation with other nxt graduates and pair up with one of them to train with, but today, you decided to work solo and focus on strength training and cardio. with your favorite hype music blasting in your headphones, your workout intensified the longer you were there and your confidence grew with each set.
after a successful workout, you decided to recover your muscles in the sauna. on your way out of the locker room, you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. your muscles looked the most defined they had looked in a while, and you couldnât help but check yourself out. the sweat glistening over your skin illuminated the high points of your muscles and exaggerated the shadows beneath them. perfect for a pump pic, you thought. you pulled your phone out and posed in front of the bathroom mirror. your figure was angled so your frontside was turned away from the mirror, and you made sure to flex your back and glutes the most, which you consider your more prominent features.
âtry pushing your shoulders back and rotate on your hipsâ you heard behind you. startled, you turned to face one of the most dominant women in the industry leaning against the counter behind you. rhea ripley, one of your biggest role models and inspirations for joining the wrestling business, appeared to be on her way out of the locker room. she had her black headphones on and was wearing a comfortable outfit, and apparently decided to stop and give you advice on your posture. momentarily dumbfounded and starstruck, you stood there frozen, incapable of processing the presence of your idol. you realized your jaw was hung open for an embarrassingly long time, so you shut your mouth and scrambled to respond.
âwow, youâre rhea ripley. oh my god, i didnât think iâd see you here.â the muscular woman shrugged her shoulders and responded with a light chuckle. âwell, i do work here.â tight-lipped and increasingly getting more anxious, you curse yourself internally. duh, y/n, you think to yourself. âof course, i just mean i figured you had a home gym or somewhere else you trained. honestly iâm just surprised to see you. iâm a huge fan.â
ripley pressed her hand to her chest as a sign of gratitude, and stuck her hand out to shake yours. âthank you for your support. youâre polaris, right? i heard you just got signed to raw.â your brain malfunctioned. oh shit, you said to yourself. rhea ripley knows of me? you felt like shrinking, and your posture naturally faltered. despite that, you smiled at the recognition and nodded.
âyeah, thatâs me. iâm doing a promo for my first appearance on monday. i donât have a match booked yet, but i wanted to train so i can at least look the partâ losing your balance, you leaned against the counter and fiddled with a random string on your bag. youâve met others on the main roster before, but youâd never been around your favorite wrestler until now.
âcongrats on making the roster! itâs not the easiest thing, i would know.â you lightly scoffed at the remark. thatâs rich coming from one of the most decorated athletes in the womenâs division. you were screaming inside, struggling to comprehend this interaction. be casual, you told yourself. rhea ripley just congratulated you.
âthank you,â you said, sheepishly. warmth spread to your cheeks and a faint blush speckled your face. âit was hard work and i worked my ass off, but i feel like i couldâve done more. iâm no rhea ripley, so i was kind of surprised they signed me, to be honest.âÂ
the eradicator furrowed her brows and waved you off. âoh please, donât say that. they saw something in you, thatâs why youâre here. and to be fair, mami wasnât built overnight. it took years for me to get here. this business is a labor of love, but donât worry. iâve seen your work, and iâm sure youâll get there if you keep it up.â this took you off guard and your stomach sank, feeling more embarrassed than you already were.
âoh god, youâve seen my matches? i didnât think youâd have time for that.â you flustered at the encouragement, but at the same time you couldnât help feeling giddy; you felt ecstatic that your idol recognized you, but it was also hard to believe. before you knew it, the insecurities you felt earlier bubbled to the surface. internally, you compared your lacking accolades to her mountain of milestones, and you wondered if she had ever criticized your performances, which you do often.
âremember, iâve been where you are. i know what itâs like to prove yourself week after week. hell, i still do to stay on top. the least i could do is watch you all perform.â ripley paused, and an inquisitive expression crept up on her face. âwhy? would you rather i not watch you wrestle?â the corner of her mouth pulled up into a sly smirk, taunting you.
your tense shoulders eased with her poking banter. she may be your idol, but youâre on the same roster now, y/n. build some camaraderie! matching her energy, you poked back. âi mean, i thought the womenâs world champion had a tight schedule and wouldnât have time for that, but i appreciate it.â you began singing your praises, saying âi really respect that you still make time to watch minor talent, even though youâre such a huge name in the industry and youâre practically the face of the company at this point.â rhea laughed at the statement and responded to your praises with a cheesy smile.Â
âaww, thanks polaris.â she gave you a pat on the back, and you jolted at the contact, that being another surprise on top of the entire interaction. your words were caught in your throat and your breathing suddenly became manual. to ease your nerves, you inhaled deeply and exhaled heavily. âiâm sorry, i donât mean to sound insane, but iâm definitely fangirling right now. youâre a huge inspiration. i mean, i pursued wrestling partly because i always loved your character and athleticism, donât even get me started on your mic skills⌠and iâm definitely not processing that iâm talking to you right now.â
rhea seemed entertained by your scrambling demeanor, evident by her cheeky grin. âi suppose iâm known to have that effect on people, but i really appreciate it.â you mustered a squeaky, âof course,â while your fidgeting fingers poked at anything to ease your anxieties. you looked up to the massive, muscular woman in front of you, and your eyes met. here, you realized this is the first time youâve been this close to the champion and found yourself astounded at how icy-blue her eyes were up close. itâs usually hard to see past the heavy, dark makeup she has on during her matches, but now, it didnât take long before you got lost in them. you snapped back to reality following this lingering moment as she cleared her throat and straightened her posture. âwell, i donât want to keep you. this pump pic wonât take itself, right?â
âright, right.â you shook your head and blinked your eyes a few times to recalibrate. you almost forgot thatâs what you were doing before you ran into her. all of a sudden, you felt awkward positioning yourself knowing your favorite wrestler was in such close proximity. you remembered her advice from earlier and tried to apply it.
âhere, let me show you.â she stepped forward and replicated your stance, and providing specific directions on which body parts to move. you watched her intently through the mirror, but felt stiff and dropped your posture. âi donât know, rhea. iâm not exactly built like you are so i donât know if my muscles will show up like yours.â
âoh, sure they will. you just have to angle it right. try again.â feeling a little silly, you reluctantly went back into position. she must have noticed the insecurities seeping out, and she reached her hand out towards your body. âit might be easier to move you myself. may i?â she extended her hand, gesturing to your shoulder. you nodded, and she began adjusting your stance. with a gentle but firm touch, she pushed the middle of your back forward with one hand and pulled your shoulder back with the other.
âyou already look great, but you want to push your chest out, pinch your shoulder blades together, and roll your shoulders back. then, rotate your hip so your glutes look more prominent.â with that last suggestion, she placed both hands on the side of your hips to angle them how she said so. with how close she was, you were hoping she couldnât hear how hard and fast your heart was beating at her touch. âlike this?â you asked. she took a step back, studied your frame in the mirror, and gave you a warm smile. âperfect, just like that.â your cheeks immediately flushed at that comment, especially considering how you felt the gentle rasp of her voice rumble in your chest. once she was satisfied with your stance, she stood next to you and commented on her own.
âi usually do the opposite; i push my shoulder out to focus attention on my back, and i usually step forward rather than stepping back.â after watching her intently, you reshifted your focus back to your phone. âwould you mind if i took a picture of both of us? as a reference, of course.â she nodded in your direction, and you took a few photos. after, you pulled up the pictures in your gallery to show her. as she bent down to look at the photos, you realized how small your frame looks compared to hers.
âwow, we look great! you definitely look the part, polaris. can you send that to me?â she asked you eagerly. you complied, and she fed you each digit of her phone number as you typed it into your messages. you sent it over, and she swiftly pulled out her phone to confirm it sent.Â
âgot it! anyways, iâve got to head out, since iâve got a tight schedule and all,â she joked, referencing your comment from earlier. âbut remember, weâre peers now. you earned your spot here. youâve got my number now so donât hesitate to reach out if you need anything, to me or anyone else on the roster. weâre all happy to help.â you nodded, and smiled warmly in response. you shot out a quick âthank youâ as she began making her way to the exit.
you blinked several times to center yourself and bring yourself down to earth. rhea was just about to disappear past the exit, but she turned to share a final thought. âyouâre doing great, polaris. iâm looking forward to seeing you on monday.â for what seemed to be the millionth time, your cheeks flared up and you struggled to contain your evident blushing.
âthank you, miss ripley. iâll see you then.â it took you a second to process what you said, but you cringed at yourself as soon as you realized. miss ripley? how prim and proper of you, y/n. you wince at your response, but the eradicator only found amusement in your nickname. she left you with her infamous wave and a nickname of her own. âsee you later, miss ris.â
immediately following the absence of the superstar, you slouched against the counter and gripped it with both hands to steady yourself. you turned back to the mirror you just posed in front of with the guidance of your favorite wrestler, and it finally dawned on you what just happened.
holy fuck. i just took a gym pic with rhea bloody ripley.
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