Rhea Ripley Breaks Silence On WWE Return As Crown Jewel 2026 Approaches

Rhea Ripley shows her recovery progress after undergoing knee surgery.© NDTV Library

Rhea Ripley is walking without her knee brace now, but don't expect her back in the ring before Crown Jewel. The former Women's Champion posted a picture on Instagram showing her leg without the brace she wore after surgery, and it pulled fresh attention onto her recovery just as WWE gets ready for another major event. Still, walking unsupported is a different thing than being cleared to wrestle. Ripley has already spoken to the comeback talk herself and asked fans to be patient while she keeps recovering.

Rhea Ripley's latest recovery footage came with a warning about her WWE comeback

The footage people started talking about was recorded at wrestling masterclass in Florida. Ripley and her husband, AEW wrestler Buddy Matthews, were there as coaches for the SPYDA x BODY BIZ event in September, and she can be seen moving around without the big knee brace she wore before.

But she wasn't hinting that a return was close.

Once a clip of her walking started going around online, Ripley answered a fan on TikTok, and the message was pretty blunt:

“Walking and wrestling are very different. Learnt how to walk last week so don't get too excited, stay patient with me.”

So that puts the video in perspective. She has made progress, sure, but compared to what WWE wrestling asks of a body, she's still early in the process.

Rhea Ripley's knee surgery and Chelsea Green's title status complicate her WWE return

Ripley hasn't been in WWE action since her match against Jade Cargill at Clash in Italy on May 31, 2026. She later said she had a meniscus tear, which is an injury to the cartilage in the knee, and in August she ended up needing surgery.

On August 6 she shared an emotional update and admitted surgery wasn't what she wanted first, after nearly 14 years in wrestling and sports.

“Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed,” Ripley wrote.

Her time away also reshaped the Women's Championship picture. Chelsea Green won an interim title ladder match at SummerSlam, and WWE officially recognized her reign on September 11, backdating the title change to August 2.

Also, there's no confirmed date for Ripley's return. Dave Meltzer reported that WWE's hope was to have her back for the Royal Rumble in February 2027, which is much later target than Crown Jewel. Nothing has been confirmed on her appearing at that event.