It was announced by WWE last week that Rhea Ripley suffered a fractured orbital bone that would keep her sidelined indefinitely.
In an update on the injury, Pwinsider is reporting that the internal word going around is that her injury may not be as serious as initially feared.
The report also states that Ripley remains penciled in for a “big role” at next year’s WrestleMania 41 pay-per-view event. It is said that if Ripley is able to return sooner rather than later, WWE will try to keep it under wraps so she can make a big splash upon her return.
Pwinsider is also reporting that the current plan is for both RAW and SmackDown to expand to three hours in January 2025.
Although that is not set is stone, there have been some discussions of adding talent from NXT to be able to fill six hours of weekly television on the two main brands.