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WWE is dealing with a different version of brutality.
The injury of WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley took another course when the superstar revealed on Thursday, Aug. 7 she had surgery for a torn meniscus in her right knee.
"Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed.… First one down… Hopefully no more," she wrote on social media. "I’ve survived, now it’s time to start thriving again so I can get back to what I love to do!"
While necessary, it complicates not just when Ripley can return to action, but how WWE has handled her absence since she suffered the injury at the Clash in Italy on May 31, with her not wrestling in more than two months.
Simply put, WWE has struggled to figure out what to do with Ripley out of action. It's obvious when a champion isn't in the ring, and there were plenty of calls for something to be done about the WWE Women's Championship in her absence.
WWE found a route, deciding to crown an interim WWE Women's Champion at SummerSlam 2026, while promoting the fact Ripley would be returning in the near future to determine who would be the true champion so she wouldn't have to vacate the title. The interim title was won by Chelsea Green.
However, just four days after Green's victory, Ripely reveals the surgery, wiping away any chance she could be returning in the coming weeks. While every surgery and recovery is different, full recovery from meniscus surgery can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It also depends on the severity of the tear, which is unclear in Ripley's case.
No matter the timetable, it doesn't look like Ripley will be wrestling again any time soon. The Wrestling Observer reported WWE hopes to have Ripley back by the 2027 Royal Rumble in February.
With Ripley's absence extended, WWE should make the move to take the interim tag off Green's reign and officially crown her the actual WWE Women's Champion. To still have the title and miss at least half of the year would be an unprecedented and unreasonable move.
While it's merely just an official distinction, it does question if this was a botched plan and if WWE should have stripped Ripley of the title in the first place. It has done it before when Ripley relinquished the Women's World Championship in April 2024 after a shoulder injury. She missed three months as a result.
This hiatus will last longer than that, so did WWE really believe Ripley was on the cusp of returning, or did the need for surgery suddenly come up after WWE played its hand? Maybe it was blind optimism, especially considering how big of a star Ripley is and how much she draws in audiences.
Regardless, it's an error on its part, and it messed with Green's victory by assuring she was the interim champion − not the actual one she should now be.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Rhea Ripley injury update drastically affects WWE, Chelsea Green
Continue reading...
The injury of WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley took another course when the superstar revealed on Thursday, Aug. 7 she had surgery for a torn meniscus in her right knee.
"Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed.… First one down… Hopefully no more," she wrote on social media. "I’ve survived, now it’s time to start thriving again so I can get back to what I love to do!"
While necessary, it complicates not just when Ripley can return to action, but how WWE has handled her absence since she suffered the injury at the Clash in Italy on May 31, with her not wrestling in more than two months.
What Rhea Ripley injury update means for WWE
Simply put, WWE has struggled to figure out what to do with Ripley out of action. It's obvious when a champion isn't in the ring, and there were plenty of calls for something to be done about the WWE Women's Championship in her absence.
WWE found a route, deciding to crown an interim WWE Women's Champion at SummerSlam 2026, while promoting the fact Ripley would be returning in the near future to determine who would be the true champion so she wouldn't have to vacate the title. The interim title was won by Chelsea Green.
However, just four days after Green's victory, Ripely reveals the surgery, wiping away any chance she could be returning in the coming weeks. While every surgery and recovery is different, full recovery from meniscus surgery can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It also depends on the severity of the tear, which is unclear in Ripley's case.
No matter the timetable, it doesn't look like Ripley will be wrestling again any time soon. The Wrestling Observer reported WWE hopes to have Ripley back by the 2027 Royal Rumble in February.
With Ripley's absence extended, WWE should make the move to take the interim tag off Green's reign and officially crown her the actual WWE Women's Champion. To still have the title and miss at least half of the year would be an unprecedented and unreasonable move.
While it's merely just an official distinction, it does question if this was a botched plan and if WWE should have stripped Ripley of the title in the first place. It has done it before when Ripley relinquished the Women's World Championship in April 2024 after a shoulder injury. She missed three months as a result.
This hiatus will last longer than that, so did WWE really believe Ripley was on the cusp of returning, or did the need for surgery suddenly come up after WWE played its hand? Maybe it was blind optimism, especially considering how big of a star Ripley is and how much she draws in audiences.
Regardless, it's an error on its part, and it messed with Green's victory by assuring she was the interim champion − not the actual one she should now be.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Rhea Ripley injury update drastically affects WWE, Chelsea Green
Continue reading...
