WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley says she has a slight meniscus tear and remains unsure when she will return to the ring.
Ripley discussed the injury while attending Power Slap 21 on Friday. Speaking with Nina Drama during the broadcast, Ripley said her knee was improving but still had limited movement.
“I’ve got a slight tear in my meniscus. It’s just healing. It’s getting there. It’s getting stronger.”
The 29-year-old said the location of the tear had made it difficult to establish a recovery timetable. She described her return as “a little bit up in the air” and said the knee can still become painful, begin throbbing and feel tired.
Ripley added that she was unable to bend the knee properly or comfortably perform movements that require her to crouch and move from side to side.
Damn, that sucks for Rhea 🥲
(hope her knee recovers fast & well ❤️🩹) pic.twitter.com/4DnjmLYrON
— iFriedNemo (@VladVilcu3) July 11, 2026
WWE announced during the June 12 edition of SmackDown that Ripley had suffered a knee injury during its European tour and was undergoing evaluation. The company did not provide a timetable for her return.
Her most recent match took place at WWE’s June 3 untelevised live event in Lisbon, Portugal. Ripley teamed with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton to defeat Fatal Influence’s Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid. At the following night’s event in Madrid, Ripley appeared in a knee brace but did not compete.
Ripley last wrestled on screen at Clash in Italy on May 31, retaining the WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill. She began her current reign by defeating Cargill at WrestleMania 42 on April 19.
