WWE Women's Champion Rhea Ripley is sidelined with a knee injury, and the fallout is reportedly reshaping SmackDown's women's division heading into SummerSlam.
WWE announced on last week's episode of SmackDown that Ripley had been pulled from action with the knee issue. That development comes only a few months after she suffered her second fractured orbital bone, an injury she initially picked up in 2024. Early details on the severity of the knee problem were limited when the announcement first landed.
A shift on the Night of Champions promotional material may have hinted that the situation is more serious than first presented. Tiffany Stratton replaced Ripley on the Night of Champions poster this week.
On the latest episode of WrestleVotes Radio, Ripley's injury status was discussed alongside the fallout across SmackDown's women's division. It was noted the injury has caused:
Significant shuffling
That shuffling extends not only to Ripley's direction but also to several women in the SmackDown Women's Division. WWE is reportedly adjusting multiple plans in case Ripley is forced to miss a significant period of time.
Earlier this month, it appeared the impending winner of the Queen of the Ring tournament was set to challenge Ripley for the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam in August. Plans could now shift to the Queen of the Ring winner challenging Raw's Women's World Champion, Liv Morgan, instead. That would mean either Charlotte Flair or IYO SKY would become Queen of the Ring at Night of Champions.
WWE continues to weigh all options regarding Ripley's injury. If plans go WWE and Ripley's way, she will be cleared in time for SummerSlam in August, though that outcome is far from a sure thing right now. It was reported over the weekend that WWE is still making pitches for her potential SummerSlam opponent at the company's second biggest premium live event of the year. CM Punk is currently away from WWE programming as Ripley deals with the knee injury on the road to SummerSlam.
