Rhea Ripley is on the shelf, and WWE is reworking its plans as a result.
The reigning WWE Women’s Champion is dealing with a knee injury, a development WWE acknowledged on the June 12 episode of SmackDown, when commentary noted she was being evaluated after hurting the knee around the time of Clash in Italy. No timeline for her return has been given.
According to Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, the injury has prompted significant shuffling, not only in Ripley’s direction but also in plans for a number of women on the SmackDown roster. Several of those plans have reportedly been adjusted in the event Ripley is sidelined for a significant period.
The first visible sign of that came with WWE’s advertising for Night of Champions. The original poster for the June 27 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featured Ripley alongside Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, and Trick Williams. WWE has since updated the graphic, removing Ripley and replacing her with Women’s United States Champion Tiffany Stratton.
Stratton has not been booked for a match at Night of Champions as of this writing, and her addition to the poster does not guarantee she will compete. Ripley herself had not been formally announced for the card.
Ripley, who captured the WWE Women’s Championship from Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42 in April, is among the names WWE would want available for SummerSlam in early August. Jacy Jayne had reportedly been discussed internally as a potential SummerSlam challenger for the champion before the injury.
