Bianca Belair has revealed that she suffered a severely broken finger during the critically acclaimed triple threat match at WrestleMania 41. The former champion detailed the exact moment the injury occurred and explained how she was able to finish the high-stakes encounter despite the immense pain.
“I Knew Immediately It Was Broken”
The injury happened during a spectacular high spot where Belair delivered a German suplex to both Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY off the top rope simultaneously. Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Belair explained how her hand got trapped underneath Ripley during the landing.
“It was when we were doing the triple German spot… my hand got stuck underneath Rhea. Also I went to the wrong side of Rhea, but my hand, I thought she was gonna go further over me, we kind of just collapsed together. So when my hand went back, it got stuck under her, and she literally crashed on my hand. I knew immediately it was broken, because usually in a match, something happens, and you don’t feel it until after the match… But in the moment I thought I broke all my fingers… The ref comes to me. He’s like, ‘Are you okay?’ I’m like, ‘I just broke all of my fingers!’ You just see me rolling around on the ground, and it took Rhea to snap me out of the moment, because I was just rolling around on the ground. And she’s like, ‘Bianca, Bianca!’ And I’m like, ‘What?’ Oh, we have to finish this match.”
“One and Done”
Belair noted that once Ripley got her refocused, adrenaline took over and she didn’t feel the pain again until she got backstage. The match is considered one of the best of her career, but she admitted that the emotional and physical toll it took makes it difficult for her to rewatch.
“I’ve actually only watched the match back once… I don’t want to watch it back because I know I’m going to pick it apart… it just takes way too much out of me, because I get nervous when I watch it again. I feel all the emotions again, By the end of watching, I just feel so exhausted. So I’m like, okay, one and done, and I’m happy with that.”
Despite the injury, Belair finished the match and returned to action shortly after WrestleMania. She remains one of the top stars in the Raw women’s division.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
