Tuhia he haere tonu mo tenei waahanga - I te marama o Hepetema 2012, i kii a Rippon i te huringa kaiako, ka neke ki te whakangungu me Rafael Arutyunyan i Lake Arrowhead, California. I te 2012 Cup of China, i tukituki a Rippon ki a Song Nan <unk> o Haina i raru i te roro, ka wehe atu <unk> i te meneti ki te whakawera whakamutunga i mua o te rerenga koreutu. Ka mea a Rippon, "I tahuri ahau ki te peke, ā, ki taku whakaaro, i te kitenga o Nan Song rāua ko au i a mātau e rua, i whakamātau mātau ki te karo i a mātau anō, engari i haere mātau i te ara kotahi, ā, i anga mātau ki te taha o tētahi, o tētahi". I mutu a Rippon i te tuawha i te huihuinga me te tuawaru i te NHK Trophy 2012. I te 2013 US Championships
, e toru nga Axels toru, ka mutu ko ia te tuarima. I whakawhiwhia ia ki nga Whenua e wha o te tau 2013, engari i wehe ia i muri i tana whara i te korokoro i te Hui-tanguru 2, 2013.