Rhea Ripley WWE Injury Major Update

Published: Aug 6, 2026 by Jamie Toolan | Last Updated: Aug 6, 2026 by Jamie Toolan

Jamie has been covering the world of wrestling for four years and currently holds the position of Assistant Editor of WrestleTalk.com. During his time working for WrestleTalk.com he has written and published over 4,000 news and feature articles covering events and happenings from WWE, AEW, TNA and a variety of international and independent wrestling promotions.

A major update has emerged regarding Rhea Ripley’s WWE injury status, as the Australian star has today revealed she’s underwent surgery.

It has now been two months since fans last saw WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley appear on television or compete inside a WWE ring, with ‘The Eradicator’ confirmed to be sidelined with a knee injury back on June 12.

One month after WWE announced that their medical team was evaluating the injury, Ripley herself revealed that the injury was a “slight meniscus tear,” but she had no definitive update in regards to a possible return timeline.

Given the uncertainty of Ripley’s recovery, WWE made arrangements to crown a new Interim WWE Women’s Champion at SummerSlam 2026 Night Two (August 2), with the Minneapolis event hosting a five-way ladder match that was won by Chelsea Green.

While WWE’s plan will be for Green and Ripley to eventually have a unification match for the WWE Women’s Championship, exactly when that may happen looks more uncertain than ever, as Ripley has today taken to Twitter to announce that she’s recently underwent knee surgery.

Ripley wrote:

Life update.

After just under 14 year in wrestling and doing sports my entire life… It’s caught up to me. Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed…

First one down…

Hopefully no more…

I’ve survived, now it’s time to start thriving again so I can get back to what I love to do!

See you all down the road.

We at WrestleTalk wish Rhea Ripley a safe and full recovery, and will provide further updates on her condition as they become available.

WWE May Be Forced To Scrap The “Interim” Label For Chelsea Green’s Women’s Title Reign

With Rhea Ripley undergoing surgery, WWE may be forced into a change of plans when it comes to Chelsea Green and the “Interim” label placed on her first Women’s Title win.

The uncertain nature of Ripley’s recovery left WWE in a difficult position, and the announcement of the Interim WWE Women’s Championship does certainly cover them in all areas – they have a champion on TV in Ripley’s absence, and have a ready made unification bout there when she eventually makes her return.

However, if the months pass and Ripley hasn’t come back, Green’s position as Interim Champion may seem all the more unnecessary.

While it’s never nice to see a superstar have to vacate a title due to injury, an absence of more than a few months has typically warranted that happening. Besides, Ripley could always be given an immediate title opportunity once she’s fit and able to return.

By having an interim champion, things get a bit muddy and Green’s crowning moment at SummerSlam will always have an asterisk next to it, unless she defeats Ripley in that unification bout.

Hopefully Ripley’s recovery goes smoothly and she can be back inside a ring before too long, otherwise WWE may have a big decision to make.

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