WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley has shared details about her knee injury and whether she is returning to the company anytime soon. The star has revealed that she suffered a slight tear in her meniscus, admitting that she has no clear timetable for her return to the ring. Ripley provided the update while appearing at Friday night’s Power Slap event, where she addressed growing questions surrounding her absence from WWE programming. According to reports, her absence could affect the company’s plans heading into SummerSlam, which is scheduled for Aug. 1 and 2, 2026, in Minneapolis.
Rhea Ripley’s return status remains uncertain as she suffers a light tear in her meniscus
WWE star Rhea Ripley’s status remains uncertain as she suffers a light tear in her meniscus that would keep her away from appearing on WWE and, perhaps, SummerSlam. The star has admitted that she has no clear timetable for her return to the ring. According to reports, Ripley sustained the injury during her successful Women’s Championship defense against Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy back on May 31. Following her injury, Ripley has not wrestled since then, and WWE has not addressed the future of the Women’s Title.Ripley spoke about her injury while appearing at Friday night’s Power Slap event, where she addressed growing questions surrounding her absence from WWE programming. She stated, “Yeah, I hurt my knee. I got a slight tear in my meniscus, so it’s healing. It’s getting there. It’s getting stronger. I just can’t bend it very well. Kind of need to bend, guys.” When asked about her possibility of return, Ripley said, “I don’t know. I tore it in a really weird spot, so it’s kind of a little bit up in the air with just how fast my body recovers. But I’ve been out for probably about a month now. I think it’s been a month and one week. It feels better. It still starts to hurt and throb; it gets tired. I can’t get up, or bend down, really, or kind of move side to side while crouching.”According to a report from Ringside News, WWE officials are scrambling to adjust several storylines in the women’s division because the major events that were heavily tied to Ripley.Even earlier, when the official poster for the annual Saudi Arabia PLE was unveiled, she prominently featured WWE Champion Cody Rhodes front and center, alongside Ripley, Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, and Men’s United States Champion Trick Williams. But she did join the event that was held on June 27, 2026.According to the latest reports, Rhea Ripley has now been replaced on the official Night of Champions poster by Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton, and Ripley is currently undergoing weekly evaluation for the knee injury she suffered at Clash in Italy.Meanwhile, WWE is still waiting to figure out how long this will be and if she will miss SummerSlam. The company is waiting to determine the severity of Ripley’s injury and whether she will have to miss SummerSlam on Aug. 1 and 2 in Minneapolis. However, nothing has been confirmed so far, neither by Ripley nor WWE. Keeping in view the severity of the injury, it can be said that Ripley will not return to any WWE programming anytime soon.
