Rhea Ripley Shows Off Brutal Black Eye After SmackDown Win Over Giulia

Rhea Ripley may have walked out of WWE SmackDown with a win — but she also walked out with a nasty souvenir.

During the February 20 episode of SmackDown, Ripley went toe-to-toe with Giulia in a stiff, nine-minute battle that had the crowd locked in from bell to bell. The match ended in Ripley’s favor via disqualification, but the physical toll was obvious by the time the cameras stopped rolling. By the end of the night, Ripley was sporting a visible black eye.

And she didn’t try to hide it. Shortly after SmackDown went off the air, “Mami” took to Instagram to show off the swelling around her eye. Staying in character, Ripley added a sarcastic caption wishing Giulia a “happy birthday,” putting a playful twist on the damage she suffered in the ring.

While WWE hasn’t confirmed the exact moment the injury occurred, many fans pointed to a particularly stiff sequence in the match where Giulia delivered a hard kick to Ripley’s head, driving her skull into the mat. That exchange immediately caught attention — and now it looks even more significant.

Despite the black eye, Ripley remains advertised for next weekend’s Women’s Elimination Chamber match in Chicago, Illinois, meaning she’s not slowing down anytime soon. If this was just SmackDown, imagine what Elimination Chamber is going to look like.

Do you think Ripley’s black eye adds to her aura, or was that kick a little too stiff? Sound off in the comments below.