WWE’s Rhea Ripley was violently attacked on this week’s NXT, and now WWE has given a major health update for the fan favorite superstar. Those who tuned into NXT this week saw Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez walking away after a vicious attack on Ripley that left her bleeding and in rough shape. There was quite a bit of blood around her eye after the attack, and now WWE has confirmed that Ripley suffered a fractured right orbital socket, which will put Ripley out of action for “an undisclosed amount of time.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
WWE shared X-Rays of the injury, and according to Fightful those are evidently real x-rays too. While WWE shared the images, Ripley then shared them with red circles highlighting the exact injury. She also had a message for Morgan and Rodriguez, writing, “Mistake no.1 You left me breathing.” You can check out the x-rays above.
The Rundown
If you didn’t watch NXT this week, you’re probably wondering what on earth happened to Ripley. This week’s NXT was a true spotlight on the Women’s Division from beginning to end, including a segment that had Zaria, Stephanie Vaquer, Guilia, Kelani Jordan, and Jordynne Grace standing in the ring opposite Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, and Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne, and Jazmyn Nyx.
That would end in a collision amongst all 10 women, and the brawl would result in NXT General Manager Ava Raine making a match featuring all 10 women official for next week’s NXT 2300. With the teams set, a later backstage segment showed the face team talking in the locker room, and they were surprised by Ripley. Ripley would lend some encouraging words and root them on, and social media we would see Ripley taking pictures with Grace and Zaria as well.
[RELATED: Zelina Vegaโs Cosplay Countdown: She & Rhea Ripley Pay Tribute to Death Note (Exclusive)]
Unfortunately the good times quickly subsided when Ripley was attacked by her car. This is the latest chapter in the ongoing saga between Ripley and Morgan, who have been feuding for a while now. The bad blood between Morgan and Ripley is going to get worse from here though, as this will be the second time Morgan has put Ripley out of commission.
The Return
The last time was thanks to a flying chair that hit Ripley backstage, and it took a while for Ripley to come back from that. While Ripley was away from Raw, Morgan made a move on Dominik Mysterio, and though it took some time, Morgan eventually won him over, with Mysterio saving Morgan from Ripley’s grasp. Since then Ripley got some revenge by beating Mysterio senseless with a kendo stick while he was hanging from a cage by a chain, though Morgan would get the win in that match thanks to the distraction.
As for when Ripley will return, it would seem that the perfect place for her to return would be the Royal Rumble. Morgan and Rodriguez can feud with other people while Ripley recovers, with an occasional vignette or two to keep the storying relevant. Then a return at Rumble would ignite it once more as WWE heads into WrestleMania. That’s all just conjecture of course, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
We wish Ripley all the best and a speedy recovery.