Rhea Ripley is on the road to recovery, but it could be a while before the Women’s Royal Rumble winner returns to the squared circle.
Ripley has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her right knee, an injury she suffered at Night of Champions.
On Wednesday, a viral TikTok shows Ripley walking briskly at what appears to be a wrestling training camp. Her swift movements led WWE fans to assume she would return soon.
However, Ripley cleared the air and offered an injury update in the comments.
“Walking and wrestling are very different,” she wrote. “Learnt how to walk last week. So don’t get too excited. Stay patient with me.”
The meniscus tear has kept Ripley out of action since June, with no timetable given for her return.
Due to her injury, Ripley was forced to vacate the WWE Women’s Championship on July 17.
That same day, Adam Pearce announced that five WWE superstars would compete in a Ladder Match at SummerSlam to be crowned the Interim WWE Women’s Champion. Ultimately, Chelsea Green secured the coveted title.
Pearce added that Ripley will have a title match against the Interim WWE Women’s Champion when she is medically cleared to compete.
Rhea Ripley Underwent Surgery in August
Rhea Ripley revealed via Instagram on Aug. 7 that she had knee surgery.
“Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed. First one down. Hopefully no more,” she wrote on social media. “I’ve survived. Now it’s time to start thriving again so I can get back to what I love to do!”
She did not specify a timeline for her return following surgery. Given that she recently began walking again, the former world champion could be sidelined for the remainder of the year.
IYO SKY Discusses Rhea Ripley Injury
Though IYO SKY hates to see Rhea Ripley sidelined by injury, she’s happy her friend is getting some much-needed rest.
SKY told The Ringer Wrestling Show that she has not communicated with Ripley much since her injury. SKY added that since Ripley was exerting herself so much prior, the injury-induced bed rest could be a blessing in disguise.
“So, I’m not a texting person. I’m not phone call person. So we haven’t talked too much, like talk, talk, talk,” SKY said. “But I totally understand what she’s doing and why she needed to take time for now. Because she — I really know she was being too busy, way busier than me. She was all over the world. She had main events, she had a championship match, and she had media interviews.
“I was thinking about when we were Rhiyo, like she had been to Crown Jewel in Australia, Perth, and she was crazy busy. I always watching by her. And, yeah, sometimes I think about her, oh my gosh, she’s overworking, something like that. Now she’s injured, that makes me sad, but definitely she needs time to take time, definitely she needs. But also I know her personality. She will come back when she is become much stronger than before.”
Rhea Ripley Provides Injury Update, Says She Had to Relearn How to Walk