Backstage Update On Rhea Ripley's Lack Of WWE Matches
Rhea Ripley has clocked just 10 minutes of singles TV ring time since WrestleMania 39.
WWE sources would neither confirm nor deny that Rhea Ripley's relative inactivity between the ropes on company television is a consequence of kneecap problems.
Fightful Select reports as much, noting the company's response. Earlier this year, Ripley had told BT Sport's Ariel Helwani that she was dealing with a lingering knee issue, which flared up again during her winning performance in the 2023 women's Royal Rumble.
Ripley told Helwani:-
“I just have knee problems. I’ve always had them, growing up playing soccer. My kneecap just sometimes slides out of place and it sort of goes to the side, sometimes it will go to the very back of my knee and I will have to straighten it and it goes back... It happened maybe halfway through, maybe a little bit earlier? I wasn’t too worried because to be honest. The rest of my body was pretty cramped anyway so I just sort of ignored it. My nose was busted too so all I could smell was blood. It was everywhere, but I live for this stuff.”
Rhea has clocked only 10 minutes, 3 seconds of ring time in televised singles matches since defeating Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39, with her last one-on-one clash being a 70-second demolition of Natalya at Night Of Champions 2023 (27 May). She has, however, competed in a series of house show matches against Natalya, Zelina Vega, and Tegan Nox in May and June.
Ripley's SmackDown Women's Championship was recently rechristened the WWE Women's World Championship by Paul 'Triple H' Levesque. Her next title defence is yet to be confirmed.