WWE has confirmed that an interim WWE Women’s Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam 2026 after Rhea Ripley was ruled out of competing due to injury.
Ripley has been sidelined since successfully defending the WWE Women’s Championship against Jade Cargill at WWE Clash In Italy. The champion has been recovering from a knee injury, leaving fans wondering whether she would be medically cleared in time for SummerSlam 2026.
Before tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, RAW General Manager Adam Pearce announced that Ripley will not be able to defend her title at the pay-per-view event. As a result, WWE will instead crown an interim champion in a Ladder Match at SummerSlam 2026.
Over the next two weeks, five competitors will qualify for the championship bout. The winner of the Ladder Match will become the interim WWE Women’s Champion and will defend the title until Ripley is cleared to return, at which point the two champions will face off to determine the undisputed titleholder.
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