WWE Still Discussing Rhea Ripley SummerSlam Plans Amid Knee Injury

Rhea Ripley is currently unable to compete, but plans for later this summer are still reportedly being discussed.

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett announced during Friday night's episode of WWE SmackDown that the WWE Women's Champion is currently being evaluated on a weekly basis following a knee injury she sustained at Clash in Italy. Ripley emerged victorious over Jade Cargill, but did not leave the arena that night unscathed.

The line on television Friday night was that a timeline for her return will depend entirely on how she responds to treatment. The WWE creative team must be feeling optimistic that she'll be good to go by August at least, because the insiders at False Finish are reporting that pitches for Rhea's SummerSlam opponents are being made.

Could Jacy Jayne be in line to face Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam?

False Finish has learned that a match between Rhea Ripley and Jacy Jayne for the WWE Women's Championship has been pitched internally for SummerSlam in Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/ujYyyDBqys
— False Finish (@FalseFinishHQ) June 12, 2026

Two-time NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne and the rest of Fatal Influence burst onto the scene on the Blue Brand following WrestleMania 42, and the group could be earmarked for a major push in the coming weeks.

False Finish reported ahead of SmackDown on Friday that Jayne has been pitched internally to face Rhea Ripley for the WWE Women's Championship on either Saturday, August 1 or Sunday, August 2 in Minneapolis. Which means these discussions had been taking place prior to the on-screen announcement about Rhea's injury.

If Jayne is in line for a title shot at SummerSlam, then one has to wonder why she was bounced so quickly from the Queen of the Ring Tournament, where the winner earns a world title opportunity.

She faced off against Bayley, Kiana James and Raquel Rodriguez in an opening round Fatal 4-Way Match, with Big Sexy advancing to a semifinals match-up against IYO SKY.

It was reported earlier this week that Charlotte Flair and Jade Cargill are likely to face each other at the 'Biggest Party of the Summer', which means the Queen of the Ring could be decided this coming Monday night on WWE Raw when Rodriguez and SKY attempt to advance to the tournament finals at Night of Champions.

Women's World Champion Liv Morgan will face Charlotte Flair in the other semifinals match-up next Friday on SmackDown, but with the Queen penciled in elsewhere, it's possible that Morgan will face her SummerSlam opponent at back-to-back Premium Live Events.

WWE has been teasing some descension amongst the Judgment Day in recent weeks. Don't sleep on the idea of Raquel Rodriguez winning the crown by defeating Morgan in the finals, and then choosing to face her again with the Women's World Title on the line at SummerSlam. That said, IYO SKY has to be the betting favorite to win the Queen of the Ring at this moment, given the reports that have surfaced about the creative directions for both Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley.

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