Top WWE Star Could Miss SummerSlam 2026, Contingency Plan Taking Shape (WWE News)

WWE is waiting to discover the extent of Rhea Ripley's knee injury.

by Andrew Pollard
WWE Clash in Italy 2026 Rhea Ripley
WWE

With last week's SmackDown revealing that Rhea Ripley is currently dealing with a knee injury, there's now an update on the Eradicator's WWE status where it pertains to SummerSlam.

Per WrestleVotes Live on Fightful Select, WWE is waiting to discover the severity of Ripley's injury and whether she'll be able to compete at the company's patented Biggest Party of the Summer. The current WWE Women's Champion, "a lot" of other plans are expected to be changed should Rhea be forced to miss SummerSlam, including the likely Charlotte Flair vs. Jade Cargill match, suggesting that one (or both) of those women would instead be factored into the WWE Women's Title match at that PLE.

As for what was previously planned for Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam 2026, recent reports noted that a match against Jacy Jayne was something that had been discussed. Of course, another option would be for the winner of the Queen of the Ring tournament to possibly face Rhea, with the winner of that tourney earning themselves a shot at a World Title seemingly of their choice. Last night saw IYO SKY advance to the final of the Queen of the Ring, where she'll face either Charlotte Flair or Women's World Champion Liv Morgan, with many fans hoping to see SKY and Ripley lock up one more time when SummerSlam rolls around.

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Either way, those SummerSlam plans appear to be a little up in the air right now, as WWE waits to discover the extent of Rhea Ripley's injury.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.