Top WWE Star Wrestles First Match In Four Months

This WWE star had been out of action since June.

by Andrew Pollard
Rhea Ripley
WWE

This past weekend saw Rhea Ripley return to in-ring action for the first time in over four months.

The Judgment Day powerhouse teamed with Damian Priest in a losing effort against the tandem of Dolph Ziggler and Nikki A.S.H. at WWE live events on both Saturday (Sioux City, Iowa) and Sunday (Topeka, Kansas). These matches mark the first time that Ripley has been in action since the 6 June edition of Raw.

While Rhea has still clearly maintained a TV presence across the past few months - including getting physical with Beth Phoenix at the Extreme Rules PPV - the 26-year-old suffered a "brain and teeth" injury during the aforementioned Raw bout. There, in an unfortunate accident, Ripley appeared to knee herself in the face; a move which required immediate dental surgery.

Not just did the Australian still emerge victorious in that Raw contest - a four-way battle featuring Doudrop, Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss - but that victory positioned Rhea as the #1 contender for Bianca Belair's Raw Women's Title. Ripley and Belair were initially due to square off at Money in the Bank in July, but those plans were obviously changed - the E.S.T. instead facing (and besting) Carmella at that PPV - once details of Ripley's injury issues became clear.

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Bianca Belair may be embroiled in a rivalry with Bayley and Damage CTRL right now, but Rhea Ripley still technically has a shot at the Raw Women's Championship to her name for some point in the future. Should Belair still hold that prize once Rhea gets done doing the inevitable something with Beth Phoenix, that previously planned MITB contest may well be revisited.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

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 co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.