Rhea Ripley's injury forces WWE to change several creative plans

Rhea Ripley returned from the latest European tour of WWE with a knee injury. The wrestler herself confirmed the news in her latest appearance on SmackDown, although she did not provide more details about the severity of the injury or an approximate date for her return to action. However, the fact that she is still holding the WWE Women's Championship would indicate that her absence will not be too long.

On the other hand, the injury has directly affected several female wrestlers on the roster and has led the company to make changes in the advertising for Night of Champions, indicating that the Australian will most likely miss the PLE in Arabia. This was explained by the media outlet Wrestlevotes Radio in Fightful Select.

"Last week it was reported that Rhea Ripley suffered a knee injury. As reported by Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, significant changes have been made in the planning related not only to Ripley's future, but also to several female wrestlers on the WWE SmackDown roster," the outlet wrote.

"Various plans have been modified due to the possibility of Ripley being out of action for an extended period," the report continued. "WWE has already updated the advertising for Night of Champions, removing Ripley and adding Tiffany Stratton".

Rhea Ripley defeated Jade Cargill to retain the WWE Women's Championship at Clash in Italy. However, the injury did not occur that night, but rather at one of the non-televised live shows after the PLE. The Australian will not defend the title at Night of Champions, but she could meet her next challenger, provided that the winner of the Queen of the Ring tournament cashes in her title opportunity for the gold currently held by "Mami".