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For the same, the company will host a five-woman ladder match at SummerSlam 2026, and the winner of the bout will become the official Interim Women’s Champion until The Nightmare recovers and returns.
However, what stunned the fans the most was the unique backup WWE came up with, introducing an interim championship and not stripping Rhea Ripley of her title, which is a rare sight in the Stamford-based promotion, especially when a major show like the Biggest Party of the Summer is on the horizon.
That said, in this article, we take a look at three reasons why Rhea Ripley didn’t vacate her WWE Women’s Championship:
#3. She could be back after SummerSlam
Recently, Rhea Ripley attended PowerSlap’s event alongside her husband, where she also met MMA media personality Nina Drama, who interviewed her on stream.
The Nightmare talked about her injury, which has forced her to take time off. She revealed that she had suffered a slight tear in her meniscus.
Here’s what she said:
“I am. I’m [injured], sorry, I’m, unfortunately… I hurt my knee. I’ve got a slight tear in my meniscus so it’s just healing. It’s getting there. It’s getting stronger. But I can’t bend it right now, so I kind of need it to bend, guys; I don’t know. I tore it in a really weird spot, so it’s kind of a little bit up in the air, with just like how fast my body recovers. But I’ve been out for just over a month and one week. It feels better, but it still starts to hurt and throb. It gets tired. I can’t get up or bend down really slow, so I kind of move side to side while crouching so it sucks. We will see how it goes.”
That said, there is a huge possibility she needs a little more time to recover from her injury, and maybe she could return just after the Biggest Party of the Summer.
#2. To set up a WWE champion vs. champion feud down the road
In recent years, the Stamford-based promotion has stripped a few female stars of their titles due to injuries or other reasons, and the pattern seemed repetitive; the company indeed needed to change something to bring in fresh air.
Friday Night SmackDown’s women’s division has been stale for a long time, and a new interim Women’s Champion being crowned would add a new level of excitement in the division, as upon Rhea Ripley’s return to the Stamford-based promotion, it would set up a Champion vs. Champion match to unfiy the title and it could be a major storyline and help in reviving the division, which is stucked in a loop.
#1. 30-day title defense rule ceases to exist
WWE had a long-standing policy in World Wrestling Entertainment, under which champions were stripped of their titles if they could not defend them within 30 days, but the rule has been revoked for a long time.
The rule had been revoked as Liv Morgan had not defended her Women’s World Championship since WrestleMania 42, and she is set to make her first title defense at WWE SummerSlam against Queen of the Ring winner IYO SKY. Now, the Stamford-based promotion has once again proven the same: they have not stripped Rhea Ripley of her title, ending the long-standing rule.
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