Chelsea Green’s Interim Title Reign Might Be Getting A Serious Upgrade

Just days after WWE crowned an Interim Women’s Champion, an update on the proper champion has shifted the dynamic once again. Rhea Ripley’s injury is seemingly more serious than anticipated, which might mean Chelsea Green becomes champion without ever having to face the current titleholder.

Rhea Ripley’s Injury Is Worse Than We Thought

Women’s Champion Ripley has been out of action for two months with a leg injury. WWE clearly believed that The Nightmare wouldn’t be out long-term, as instead of stripping Ripley of the Women’s Title, they crowned an Interim Champion at SummerSlam. Just days later, Ripley shared an update on social media, informing fans that she has had to undergo surgery to aid her recovery.

“After just under 14 years in wrestling and doing sports my entire life, it’s caught up to me. Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed,” Ripley revealed. “I’ve survived, now it’s time to start thriving again so I can get back to what I love to do! See you all down the road.”

That last part makes it seem likely we won’t be seeing Ripley in the ring again for a very long time. So long that it might mean that title now needs to be taken away and given to someone else. That’s the latest from The Wrestling Observer. The report claims that since Green is already Interim Champion, the most likely course of action would be for WWE to simply turn that temporary title reign into a fully-fledged official one.

Now that the severity of Ripley’s injury has been confirmed, the expectation is that some sort of announcement will be made tonight on SmackDown. There hasn’t been a SmackDown since SummerSlam, which means Green hasn’t made an on-screen appearance since ascending the ladder to become champion last weekend.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to what WWE does in situations like these. Sometimes the title is stripped immediately, occasionally within 24 hours, and plans to crown a replacement are put in place. Other times, as is the case here, an Interim Champion is crowned. When that happens, the real champion and the interim will compete to be crowned the one real champion once the injured party returns.

My assumption here is that WWE was holding out for as long as possible to see if there was a world in which Ripley would be back in the ring relatively soon. That way, she could stay champion whilst Green is elevated to the top table while still kind of not being the whole way there. There would also be that asterisk that she was never really champion, especially if she lost to Ripley upon her return. That asterisk might be erased later today.