Stephanie Vaquer is back on top of WWE, but getting there involved a much bigger health battle than fans knew about. The WWE Women’s World Champion has now revealed that she underwent surgery during her time away from the company, admitting that being forced to stop training was one of the hardest stretches of her life.
Speaking with Yael Rueda of Rueda en el Ring, Vaquer opened up about what happened while she was sidelined. She did not reveal what the surgery was for or when exactly it took place, but made it clear the procedure forced her to completely shut down her normal training routine. For somebody who has spent more than a decade constantly wrestling and training, Vaquer said sitting still was brutal.
“It was difficult. It was very difficult because coming out of surgery and having to wait without training, I think that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with in my life—not being active and training.”
Getting back inside a wrestling ring changed everything for Vaquer. After being forced to put her career on pause for her health, she described finally returning as feeling like she had gotten her life back.
“But I returned to the ring, and stepping into the ring for me felt like coming back to life. It was a necessary break for the sake of my health, but I returned better than ever and I’m going to keep going just as always—disciplined in my training and showing what I’m made of.”
The surgery revelation puts some of Vaquer’s comments from earlier this year into a much clearer perspective. Just days before WrestleMania 42, Vaquer admitted during an interview with Chris Van Vliet that she wasn’t going into WrestleMania at 100%. She stressed at the time that she wasn’t dealing with one major injury, but said years of wrestling had left her body needing more recovery.
Vaquer went on to lose the WWE Women’s World Championship to Liv Morgan at WrestleMania 42, and WWE Unreal later showed just how much that moment meant behind the curtain. Vaquer explained after the match that she had spent roughly 10 years wrestling nonstop before arriving in WWE and felt her body was finally telling her it was time to slow down and take care of her health.
That break clearly wasn’t just talk. Vaquer has now confirmed there was surgery involved somewhere along the way, although she is keeping the specifics private. Fast forward several months and La Primera is right back where she started—holding WWE gold. Vaquer defeated Liv Morgan to regain the WWE Women’s World Championship in Santiago, Chile on September 12, becoming a two-time champion in front of her home-country crowd.
Considering Vaquer went from admitting her body desperately needed a break, to undergoing surgery, to returning and reclaiming the Women’s World Championship, her comeback suddenly has a lot more behind it than fans realized.
What do you think about Stephanie Vaquer revealing she underwent surgery during her WWE absence, and are you surprised she kept the procedure private until now? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
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