The April 7 episode of WWE Raw at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota appeared to be a remarkable one for Rhea Ripley as she finally confirmed her ticket to Wrestlemania 41 after weeks of turmoil. After a shocking title loss from last month, everybody’ favorite MAMI will get to challenge for the women’s world championship at the Show of Shows, after all. But fans were more concerned with her health status coming out of last night’s episode.
In the opening segment of WWE Raw, the general manager of the show, Adam Pearce announced that the Women’s World Championship Match at Wrestlemania 41 would be a triple threat with both Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley challenging the reigning champion IYO SKY.
Soon after the announcement on WWE Raw, a physical altercation among the trio broke out in the ring with SKY standing tall. This came after SKY launched herself off the top rope with a missile drop-kick to lay out both Ripley and Belair in the ring. She specifically hit Ripley’s back sending her face-first into Belair, concerning the fans about Ripley suffering an orbital bone, a broken nose.
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With Wrestlemania 41 being less than just two weeks away on the calendar, fans were legitimately concerned about the former women’s world champion’s status. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful addressed the situation during his post-WWE Raw edition and revealed what he had heard from those backstage after the incident,
“IYO SKY hits a springboard dropkick on Rhea. At the time, I was like, ‘Oh my God, is Rhea going to make it to this match?’ Fractured orbital, broken nose — whatever it might be,”
WWE Raw: Rhea Ripley handled injury spot like a tough champion
Sapp further explained that Rhea “bloody” Ripley handled the situation, staying true to her moniker and like a champion, showing no effects of having a bad bump in the ring on WWE Raw. The encouraging news is that she didn’t appear to be seriously injured and rather walked out of the scene without showing any signs of suffering damage so close to ‘Mania.
“The people I spoke to backstage said she seemed all right — in good spirits and all that good stuff. But it was definitely one of those moments where a lot of people went, ‘Oh s**, is she okay?’ But, you know… tough woman.”* (quotes courtesy Ringside News)
That being said, the three-way bout featuring Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, and IYO SKY is still on for WrestleMania 41 with the WWE women’s world championship hanging in the balance. A small hiccup on the way ahead of the match on WWE Raw wasn’t enough to put down Ripley’s spirits. Rather, The Aussie must be gearing up for her fourth world championship capture moment at the Show of Shows.