Rhea Ripley might not be ready to wrestle yet, but WWE apparently wants Mami back on the road very soon. In fact, Ripley is expected to make the trip to Australia for WrestlePalooza next month — whether she’s medically cleared by then or not.
During a Q&A session, WrestleVotes was asked about Ripley’s return status following her meniscus surgery. According to WrestleVotes, Ripley is currently scheduled to travel with WWE to Australia as part of the WrestlePalooza roster.
“Rhea Ripley — all signs indicate she’s part of the traveling roster to WrestlePalooza. Couldn’t tell you if she will get cleared in time. All we know is she’s getting on a plane and getting to Australia. She’s scheduled to travel.”
That doesn’t mean fans should immediately start penciling Ripley into a match. WrestleVotes stressed that there’s currently no indication she’ll actually be medically cleared to compete by the time WrestlePalooza rolls around. What does seem clear is that WWE wants her there. WrestleVotes added that people backstage specifically want Ripley involved with the Australian tour.
“The people we talked to backstage want her as part of this WrestlePalooza tour.”
Ripley has been sidelined since undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in August. She initially needed crutches and a large knee brace, although her recovery has visibly progressed since then. Back on September 23, footage of Ripley walking without the large brace got fans thinking an in-ring return might be close. Ripley quickly shut that down herself, pointing out that simply walking again and being ready to wrestle are two completely different things.
“Walking and wrestling are very different 😅 learnt how to walk last week so don’t get too excited, stay patient with me.”
Now there’s at least another milestone on the calendar. Ripley is heading home to Australia with WWE next month, but whether Mami actually gets to step back inside the ring while she’s there remains the big question.
Do you think Rhea Ripley could be cleared in time for WrestlePalooza, or should WWE keep taking things slowly with her recovery? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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.
