Rhea Ripley finally got the Vans treatment after previously revealing the brand ignored her when she reached out early in her WWE career.
Ripley took to her Instagram Story and showed off a custom pair of white Vans sneakers. The shoes featured the words “Dues Paid” written on them, making the moment feel very intentional after her recent comments about wanting to work with the brand.
Ripley thanked Travis Barker and Vans for setting it up: “Dues payed! Thank you @travisbarker and thank you @vans” The WWE Women’s Champion also made it clear she loved the custom sneakers: “These are sick”
This comes after Ripley previously spoke to Complex about her long-time love for Vans and how badly she wanted to partner with the company. She explained that the brand has been part of her daily style for years: “Yeah. I mean, I’d love to do like a Vans deal for sure since they are the shoe that I wear every single day.” Ripley then revealed that she actually tried to reach out when her WWE career first started gaining momentum but the company no-sold her DM.
“I would love to do a Vans deal. And I remember when I first started in WWE, my name started getting a little bit bigger. And I remember I messaged them ages ago. They never got back to me. Yeah. I slid into their DMs and they didn’t respond.”
Now, things look very different. Ripley is one of WWE’s biggest names, and Vans has finally sent her a custom pair of sneakers with help from Travis Barker. The “Dues Paid” message also fits perfectly with Ripley’s rise from being ignored to becoming impossible to overlook. It remains to be seen whether this leads to an official partnership between Rhea Ripley and Vans, but this definitely feels like a major full-circle moment for the WWE Superstar.
Do you think Vans should officially sign Rhea Ripley after this custom sneaker gift? Please share your thoughts and feedback below.
