Rhea Ripley is reacting to a viral fake AI story linking her to a massive Michael Jordan deal—and even she admits she wishes it were real.
During an interview with Complex, Ripley was shown a fake post claiming she had signed a $30 million endorsement deal with Michael Jordan. The post wasn’t just a headline—it included fabricated quotes and managed to convince a surprising number of people online.
“Another thing—we’re in the era, unfortunately, of fake news and AI. There was—I was doing research—and a post comes up. I want to show you, just so you see it, and then I’m going to read it to you, okay? You and Michael Jordan. ‘Breaking: basketball legend Michael Jordan has just announced a massive million endorsement deal with young WWE star Rhea Ripley.’ It’s like this whole thing—they even gave a fake quote. It’s obviously fake.”
When she first saw the post and heard what it claimed, Ripley reacted with a mix of humor and disbelief, acknowledging how big the deal would have been if it were actually real: “I mean, I wish it wasn’t.”
As the conversation continued, the interviewer pointed out that people in the comments genuinely believed the story, with some even saying they’d buy Jordans for the first time because of her: “But the interesting thing is there’s so many comments on that Facebook post like, ‘Oh man, I’m going to finally buy my first pair of Jordans,’ and things like that.”
That’s when Ripley really leaned into how surreal the situation had become, making it clear that it’s wild how some people would actually buy their first pair of Jordans only because she would be involved in it.
“Dude, that’s wild that people were commenting that. Like, Jordans is a massive brand—they’ve been around for so long, and they have so many different styles. To say that it might be the first pair you buy because it’s a ‘Mommy Ripley’ pair is insane.”
Rather than shutting the idea down completely, Ripley even used the moment to send a direct message—half-joking, half-serious—to Michael Jordan himself about making something real happen: “So… Michael Jordan, come on—see, come through.” The discussion then shifted from the fake deal to real possibilities, with Ripley being asked whether she’d actually be interested in a sneaker partnership if the opportunity came up.
“Yeah, I mean, I’d love to do a Vans deal for sure, since they are the shoe that I wear every single day. I would love to do a Vans deal.”
That answer came with a surprising reveal—Ripley has already tried to make that collaboration happen in the past, long before this interview. However, Vans ended up ghosting her.
“And I remember when I first started in WWE, my name started getting a little bit bigger, and I messaged them ages ago. They never got back to me. Yeah, I slid into their DMs and they didn’t respond.”
This shows just how easily AI-generated content can spread—and how quickly it can blur reality, especially when it involves major names like Jordan. At the same time, Ripley’s reaction makes it clear she’s not shutting the door on a real deal if the right opportunity comes along.
Do you think Rhea Ripley should land a real sneaker deal soon—and which brand would make the most sense for her? Let us know your thoughts.
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