Backstage update on potential reason for Rhea Ripley's recent WWE inactivity

From winning the Royal Rumble to stealing the show at WrestleMania 39 against 14-time WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Rhea Ripley had a fantastic start to 2023. However, everything went downhill after the Show of Shows in terms of her title reign.

While her match in Puerto Rico against Zelina Vega was serviceable thanks to a hot crowd, the Judgment Day star is yet to truly indulge in a substantial program with her world title at the center of it all.

Fans have grown tired of Ripley's booking by WWE creative, with a large section of them even claiming that she needs to drop it to a more deserving star.

Fightful Select (subscription required) has now reported that sources within WWE have neither confirmed nor denied why The Eradicator has not wrestled more frequently.

Current speculation revolves around kneecap issues that the champion has mentioned in the past.

It's worth noting that Rhea Ripley has begun wrestling at live events, which could mean that she is ready to kickstart a major program on WWE TV as we head into the summer.

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Rhea Ripley isn't too sure why the WWE Universe reacts so strongly to her and Dominik Mysterio

The Judgment Day stars have been the focal point on the red brand consistently, with their on-screen partnership and shenanigans effectively being held higher above the women's world title itself at this point.

After unveiling the brand new Women's World Championship, Rhea Ripley played second fiddle to Dominik Mysterio's budding feud with Cody Rhodes.

Speaking about her relationship with Dom and how WWE fans have been very much into them of late, Ripley explained in detail during an interview with the Under the Ring podcast:

"Honestly, I'm not sure," she responded when asked why the act is so effective. "Dominik and I, we barely talked before this whole Judgement Day thing. Like we said 'Hi, how are you?' and that was about it. So watching our chemistry blossom and grow week by week, we're getting more comfortable with each other, which is fantastic. It's been really fun. Also watching him grow as a performer and blossom and get more confident week-in and week-out, it's been very rewarding, as well." [H/T: Wrestling Inc.]

Dominik Mysterio will wrestle Cody Rhodes at Money in the Bank in the UK. Considering Ripley's overall involvement in the storyline, it's all but confirmed she will be at ringside for the match.

You can read more about fans reacting to Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio's relationship as the modern version of Edge and Lita's on-screen pairing here.