Folks, just when you thought the WrestleMania 40 fireworks had settled, WWE Raw threw us a curveball that no one saw coming. Our reigning Women’s World Champion, Rhea Ripley, stepped into the ring not to flaunt her title but to hang it up, temporarily, due to a shoulder snag courtesy of last week’s tussle with Liv Morgan.
Here’s the scoop, straight from the wrestling grapevine, courtesy of “Wrestling Observer Radio”: It seems Ripley’s shoulder decided to take an unscheduled vacation after Morgan introduced her to the not-so-gentle embrace of a wall. The verdict? An AC joint sprain that’s benched our champ for about three to six months, depending on how her recovery goes.
Bryan Alvarez, with his finger on the pulse, noted, “She was thrown into the wall and boom—there goes the shoulder.” Easy to say, harder to heal from, I’d wager. And as for the timing? Well, as Dave Meltzer pointed out, “If it was January and she would be back for WrestleMania, they wouldn’t do this.” Timing, as they say, is everything.
Now, here’s where it gets juicier than a summer watermelon. Last night’s Raw didn’t just see a champion step down; it flipped the script on who’s the hero and who’s the villain. Liv Morgan, previously the crowd’s darling, might just have turned heel, while Ripley, through sheer sympathy and those puppy-dog eyes, might have flipped to a full-blown babyface.
The WWE Universe, not known for its quiet opinions, was all in for Ripley, their cheers almost blowing the roof off. Now, with Ripley out of the picture temporarily, the title’s up for grabs, and Morgan? She’s heating up faster than a microwave dinner, potentially setting the stage for a new chapter in the saga.
So, what’s next for our wrestling royals? With Ripley rehabbing and Morgan possibly donning the black hat, the WWE Women’s World Championship scene is about as predictable as my Aunt Patty’s Thanksgiving speeches. Stay tuned, because if anything, the WWE is sure to keep us guessing, and you don’t want to miss what comes out of the ring next.