Ripley speaks about having to pivot in that moment.
As WWE was moving towards their 2025 Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, qualifying matches were being held, and on the women's Ladder match front, there was a qualifier that saw Rhea Ripley versus Zoey Stark, versus Kairi Sane.
As the bout was ongoing, Stark went for a springboard dropkick and planted awkwardly. She has since undergone surgery for ACL, MCL, and meniscus tears.
Stark was removed from the match, and Ripley and Kairi had to pivot to a singles bout. Ripley reflected on that while appearing on Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
“It's such a stressful thing going out there and being on live television where anything could really happen. We've seen injuries happen. Zoey Stark, she got injured and Kairi (Sane) and I had to go out there and have a singles match when we were supposed to have a Triple Threat, and it was Kairi’s first match back within months, and she was gone for months, and I haven't wrestled Kairi since an NXT house show. So it's like, okay, how do we do this on live television? If we stuff up, no one's getting blamed but us. They're not gonna blame anyone else. We're the two in there and we're the two going at it and on live television, we gotta put this stuff together."
As of this writing, Ripley's last match on WWE television was a Queen of the Ring tournament match. She was bounced out of the first round, and the finals are now set between Asuka and Jade Cargill.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
