Top WWE Star Written Off Television
SmackDown superstar written off television recently getting a well-deserved break.
If you're a big fan of Bianca Belair, you could have to wait a while before seeing her on SmackDown again.
The EST was written off TV a couple weeks ago via injury angle just two weeks after winning -- and immediately losing -- the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam when Iyo Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase. It was the second time in less than three months that Belair had lost a world title, having lost its predecessor, the Raw Women's Championship, to Asuka at Night of Champions in May.
On the August 18 episode of SmackDown, Bianca and Charlotte Flair teamed up to defeat Damage CTRL, only for the stable to jump Belair backstage, re-injuring the knee she hurt (in storyline) at SummerSlam and effectively putting her on the shelf.
Now, Fightful Select reports that Belair could be off anywhere from a few weeks to as long as three months, though it's unclear where in that range her absence can fall. However, Fightful noted that the time off was planned and factored in creatively.
Belair has been on the go without a real break on the main roster since being called up in April 2020 -- she's had a televised match every month since then except December 2022 and June this year. Consider that she won the 2021 Royal Rumble, won the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37 and defended it until losing it at SummerSlam to Becky Lynch. Then she worked her way back to beating Lynch at Mania 38 and held the Raw Women's Championship for nearly 14 months before losing it in May to Asuka.
That's quite the run for the EST.
Fightful noted that Belair was praised by people within WWE during her title reign for the media schedule she kept and community events she attended.
However long Bianca is off, it certainly seems like a well-deserved break.