Rhea Ripley has broken her silence on the specifics of her knee injury, revealing a slight meniscus tear that is healing but still severely limiting her mobility in the ring. She offered a first-person account of the setback that has kept her sidelined.
Ripley detailed the injury while speaking on a livestream at this weekend’s Power Slap event, giving fans the clearest look yet at what is keeping her out of action.
“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,” she said.
The functional limitation is the sticking point. Ripley said the knee is getting stronger, but the inability to bend it properly is exactly the kind of movement she needs to perform.
No Firm Return Timeline
Ripley made clear that her return timing remains uncertain and depends on how quickly the injury heals. She described her timeline as up in the air, noting that healing speed varies from person to person.
No specific return date has been provided. WWE acknowledged her absence due to a knee injury on SmackDown but did not attach a timetable to it.
Her absence has already forced changes across WWE’s women’s division, with Ripley’s injury reshaping plans for several stars. The original setback came amid a busy stretch for the division, first putting her status up in the air.
For now, Ripley remains in recovery with the focus on regaining full mobility in the knee before any return can be mapped out.