Bully Ray Reacts To Rhea Ripley Injury, Vacating WWE Women's World Title

WWE star Rhea Ripley has become one of the biggest names, if not the biggest, in WWE's women's roster over the last year, but her injury has halted her meteoric rise. WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, however, sees the positives in the Australian's recent setback, arguing that the injury is not as bad as many fear it will be for her.

"I know on the surface it sounds bad, but it's not necessarily bad," Ray began on "Busted Open Radio." "It's not like she got hurt before WrestleMania. She got through WrestleMania, she got injured, now she's going to go away for a little while. Sometimes ... what do they say about absence? (It makes the heart grow fonder) Same thing in wrestling. Sometimes when you go away for a while, it makes the fans yearn for you to come back. They get excited for you when you come back."

The tag team legend believes that when Ripley returns from her injury, she will get a huge reaction from the crowd, and predicts that "Mami" will be the biggest babyface in the women's division.

"Rhea Ripley has been positioned as a heel. It's the fans who are into her — she's got a great entrance, phenomenal look, she gets the job done in the ring," said the Hall of Famer. "This time away will be good for Rhea. Recharge the battery, heal your injury, and when Rhea Ripley comes back, when they hit her music on her return, the WWE will have a monster woman babyface on their hands in Rhea Ripley."

Ray also praised Ripley and Charlotte Flair's match at WrestleMania 39, where the Australian became the "WWE SmackDown" Women's Champion. Recent reports have indicated that Ripley could be out of action for almost three months. WWE has announced that a new WWE Women's World Champion will be decided on next week's "WWE Raw," although they haven't announced the contenders.