Rhea Ripley has given a vivid firsthand account of the moment she realised Bianca Belair had seriously injured herself during their triple threat WWE Women’s World Championship match at WrestleMania 41. Speaking on The Ebro Laura Rosenberg Show, Ripley described the in-match moment that has since kept Belair out of action for nearly a year.
“Oh, dude, you should have seen it in the match. We hit the ground and I see her turn around and she goes, ‘I think I broke my finger,’ and I was like, ‘oh, that’s not good.’ We were like maybe halfway through. Her ring finger, I believe it was, yeah,” Ripley said.
Bianca Belair’s Finger Injury at WrestleMania 41 Has Had a Long Recovery Timeline Into 2026
The injury Belair suffered during the match with Ripley and IYO SKY — who retained the title that night — proved to be more serious than initially hoped. The finger did not heal as expected following the event, eventually requiring surgery earlier in 2026. Recent reports have indicated Belair has now begun light training as part of her recovery, with internal optimism that a return to the ring could come sooner rather than later. While she was originally planned for a WrestleMania 42 championship match before the injury timeline derailed those plans, her gradual return to training suggests she could be back in action later this spring or summer. Ripley’s recollection of the exact moment it happened gives fans a rare glimpse into the reality of what these performers go through inside the ring at the biggest events of the year.
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