Stephanie Vaquer’s sudden absence from WWE RAW left fans wondering what was going on, especially after WWE pulled her from a major match against Becky Lynch. Now, Dave Meltzer has provided more details about why Vaquer missed the show and how her illness forced WWE to change its plans.
As previously noted, it was confirmed that Vaquer was not backstage for WWE RAW on October 26, 2026 and had not been medically cleared to compete. False Finish later indicated that Vaquer’s absence was illness-related and that she would be sidelined indefinitely, with no timetable established for her return.
During the October 29 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer confirmed that Vaquer is dealing with an illness rather than an injury. He also said he had been told that her condition wasn’t considered terribly serious.
“She’s ill. You know, it’s not anything. I was told nothing terribly serious or anything, but. But she’s, she’s ill and she’s out.”
Bryan Alvarez then brought up the fact that Vaquer had been listed as out indefinitely. Meltzer explained that the wording didn’t necessarily mean she was dealing with a serious medical problem. Instead, WWE simply doesn’t know exactly when she’ll be ready to return.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s indefinitely in the sense that, you know, it’s not like it’s a week. You know, it’s not. It’s. It’s something more serious, so. Or, no, I shouldn’t even say that. It’s something that’s indeterminate yet as far as when she’ll be back.”
Meltzer also cleared up any speculation that Vaquer’s absence was part of a storyline. WWE originally intended to move forward with her match against Becky Lynch on RAW, but Vaquer became sick and couldn’t make the show. That forced the company to come up with a replacement match involving Lynch and WWE Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan.
“But that’s why they didn’t do that match. She. It wasn’t about an injury and it wasn’t a worked storyline. They were going to do the match On Monday night and she got sick and could not, could not come.”
The last-minute change also explains why Lynch’s championship match against Morgan ended in a disqualification. According to Meltzer, WWE didn’t want Lynch taking a loss in a match that wasn’t originally supposed to happen, so the disqualification allowed the company to avoid that outcome.
“And, and that’s why they did the Becky lynch live, Morgan. And that’s why they did the dq, because they didn’t want to be Becky lynch, but it wasn’t a match that they had planned. And so the DQ that way, you know, to get out of it, essentially.”
For now, Vaquer remains out of action with no confirmed return date, but Meltzer’s update makes it clear that WWE wasn’t planning some surprise storyline with her absence. The company had to change its plans because she was genuinely sick, and there’s still no indication of when she’ll be medically cleared. That also leaves her position in the Women’s World Championship picture up in the air.
How do you think WWE should handle Stephanie Vaquer’s spot in the title picture while she’s out, and should she immediately return to the championship chase once she’s cleared? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
