New Reports Reveal Whether Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill’s Online Feud Is Legit

Is there real heat between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill heading into WWE WrestleMania 42?

There has been a lot of talk online surrounding the recent back-and-forth between Jade Cargill and Rhea Ripley on social media. After Ripley's Instagram Stories post last night, which she quickly deleted, fans were convinced there is real animosity between these two women.

We now have an in-depth update, based on multiple reports, on where things stand with Ripley and Cargill as we head into their face-to-face confrontation this Friday night on SmackDown.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the online back-and-forth between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill was not devised by creative, which saw a number of sources placing the blame directly on Cargill. One source went so far as to say that Cargill has rubbed several WWE women the wrong way, and the back-and-forth with Ripley allowed them to step in and voice their opinions on the matter.

The same source would go on to reveal that this isn't the first time Cargill has upset others with the way she has conducted herself, going on to reveal the real reason for her disappearance from WWE programming at the end of 2024 through the beginning of 2025 wasn't because she got hurt, but it was to spend time at the Performance Center to allow the issues between her and the other women to cool down.

Another source who initially tried to downplay the situation would later admit that it's likely the company will try to speak with Cargill about her current relationship with the other women in the locker room. While talent have been happy to help put Cargill over on television, they don't feel she returns the favor, with some describing the current WWE Women's Champion as insecure.

Things between Ripley and Cargill began as a "playful work" but then got serious

Another report from Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp states that the back-and-forth between Ripley and Cargill initially started as a "playful work," but things took a more serious turn when Cargill brought up Ripley speaking with creative for extended periods.

This exchange left many in WWE confused, unable to figure out how bringing up creative could be used to further their feud heading into WrestleMania. Despite that, those in WWE are "generally happy" about how this has turned out, given the buzz it has created for their match, with many fans believing there is legitimate dislike between them.

Thankfully, there's currently no concern within WWE that the two will be able to work together next month at the Showcase of the Immortals. But a member of the creative team also shut down the idea that this whole situation was an elaborate work.

Sources close to Cargill blew off the situation to both Sapp and Johnson, believing it wasn't a big deal. Furthermore, Sapp states there doesn't appear to be any real heat on anyone for the tweets posted over the past few days.

There still seems to be a point of contention between the two reports regarding whether Cargill was truly injured during her time off between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. While Johnson stands firm on his reports that Cargill was never injured, Sapp states he was repeatedly told that Cargill sustained a legitimate injury.