Rhea Ripley officially replaced by WWE

Rhea Ripley’s injury was made official on WWE SmackDown this past week, as Michael Cole noted that the Women’s Champion had suffered a knee injury in her title defence at Clash in Italy.

Ripley had been spotted with a knee brace, and it’s clear that she was unable to wrestle at recent live events, but the company may have now revealed how long she could be out of action.

Ripley was one of the cover stars for the upcoming Night of Champions event in Saudi Arabia, but after her recent injury issues, she has been replaced on the poster by Tiffany Stratton.

The poster now includes Stratton, Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, and Trick Williams, since Roman Reigns is also expected to miss the event.

Rhea Ripley was initially expected to defend her title at Night of Champions, as well as waiting to see if the Queen of the Ring winner looks to challenge her at SummerSlam.

Mami may not be part of the show, which is a massive blow for WWE because then both Roman Reigns and Ripley will be missing, two of the company’s biggest champions.

Instead, Liv Morgan will be there, but she could also make the final of the Queen of the Ring Tournament, which may mean that she won’t defend her own title. The way Rhodes is going, he could face Gunther again or step into a new rumored feud with CM Punk.

Rhea Ripley may be out of action for several months

Rhea Ripley’s injury was announced, but the severity wasn’t revealed, which means that it could be several months on the sidelines for her if the injury is much worse than expected, with her championship becoming a topic of debate.

WWE has some interesting events coming up, as the company returns to the United States this week before RAW and SmackDown back-to-back in London, followed by the flight out to Saudi Arabia for Night of Champions. Ripley could be missing from all of these shows, and given the fact that she was replaced on the poster for Night of Champions, her absence is now expected.

Edited by Phillipa Marie