Tag: bianca belair

Bianca Belair thanks doctor for ‘fixing’ complicated hand injury

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Bianca Belair looks to have finally found a solution for her hand injury.

Ten months after being forced out of action, Belair underwent surgery this week to repair the injury she suffered at WrestleMania 41. The initial hope was that Belair would only be out of action 8-12 weeks, but her injury proved to be more complicated than expected. She is now on the road to recovery and has started physical therapy post-surgery.

Belair made an Instagram post today thanking her doctor and everyone who has sent her love during this process. She’s learned that fingers and joints can be frustrating to fix but is hopeful that this is now behind her.

“10 months post injury, 8 months of rehab, 5 Dr’s Later…And we are FINALLY here,” Belair wrote. “Now I can finally start to put this behind me. Thank you so much Dr. Desai for hearing me and fixing me!

Fingers and JOINTS are complicated, frustrating, confusing, essential… if you don’t get it… consider yourself lucky and I hope you never have to find out. Maybe one day I’ll go into detail but it’s a lot. Thank you to those who have sent so much love my way and continue to.”

A timeline for when Belair will be able to return to the ring has not been announced. The WrestleMania 41 match where she suffered this injury was one of WWE’s best bouts of 2025, even receiving praise from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. It was a triple threat match that saw IYO SKY defeat Belair and Rhea Ripley.

WWE star Bianca Belair starts recovery process after surgery

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Bianca Belair is on the road to recovery after finally undergoing finger surgery.

In a series of Instagram story posts on Tuesday morning, Belair shared that she has started physical therapy after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair the injury that has kept her sidelined for nearly one year. The injury happened at WrestleMania 41 and was initially expected to have an 8-12 week recovery time. She has now been out of action for 10 months.

Belair faced off against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley in an instant-classic triple threat match at WrestleMania last year. Her injury proved to be more complicated than originally thought and, while she is hopefully on the right track now after surgery, threatens to keep her sidelined through WrestleMania 42.

“So I broke my knuckle, not my finger, I broke my knuckle, I broke the joint,” Belair said on BET’s 106 & Sports in November 2025. “It’s something that I thought was going to be a very straightforward, you know, 8-12 weeks.”

Prior to her surgery, Self Made Pro Wrestling reported that Belair was expected to be at WrestleMania 42 in some capacity, though it was not known if she would be wrestling. A return timeline following surgery has not been announced.

The 36-year-old Belair is a multi-time Women’s Champion and Women’s Tag Team Champion for WWE, having been positioned as one of the top stars in the division since joining the main roster.

WOR: AEW Grand Slam recap, Cain Velasquez

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Garrett Gonzales is back with Dave Meltzer, subbing for Bryan Alvarez who is on vacation. My Fight Game Podcast co-host John LaRocca also joined us for the very first WOR + Fight Game collaboration.

We recapped AEW Grand Slam and Friday Night’s SmackDown.

We also discussed the weekend news including the following:

  • CNN Business covering AEW and Brody King
  • Cain Velasquez out of jail
  • Mistico discussing winning the WON Wrestler of the Year
  • Bianca Belair’s surgery

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube

Bianca Belair to undergo finger surgery

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bianca Belair is still dealing with an injury to her hand.

On social media, the former champion shared that she would be undergoing surgery on Monday.

“Finger surgery tomorrow,” she wrote, finishing her post with a praying emoji.

Belair has struggled with an injury that has kept her out of action for nearly a year. In December, she wrote during an Instagram Q&A that that she would be getting her finger fixed. In an interview with BET’s 106 & Sports, Belair explained the injury in detail.

“So I broke my knuckle, not my finger, I broke my knuckle, I broke the joint,” she explained. “It’s something that I thought was going to be a very straightforward, you know, 8-12 weeks. It’s been almost six months at this point.”

“I was in a triple threat with Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. And we were going to the top rope, because that’s what we do, and we came off the top rope and Rhea landed straight on my hand and it just crushed everything in my finger. So it’s been a crazy journey. You know, being an athlete and having an injury, you rely on your body and now my body’s not doing what it’s supposed to do. But I’m hoping that I can be back in the ring soon.”

Her last match was at WrestleMania 41, where she was unsuccessful in defeating champion IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World title. She briefly returned at WWE Evolution to be the guest referee in a match between Jade Cargill and Naomi.

Fight Game: Is AJ Styles retiring at the WWE Royal Rumble?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling.

We gave out our thumbs up and thumbs down before focusing on the major stories of the week.

We talked about Tomasso Ciampa joining AEW, the men’s main event scene in AEW and some other AEW Dynamite thoughts, and then a preview of this weekend’s WWE Royal Rumble with thoughts on all of the matches, predictions, and some of the possible surprises.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Fight Game: Whose stock are we buying or selling in 2026?

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most interesting topics in pro wrestling this week.

We first gave our thoughts on AEW Worlds End from Jon Moxley winning the Continental Classic to MJF ending the night as the AEW World Champion.

Then, we talked about where were see some AEW and WWE wrestlers in 2026 compared to how they ended 2025. Are they on the rise? Will they fall? Or, are they going to stay exactly where they are?

Some of the folks we discussed included:

  • Trick Williams
  • Bianca Belair
  • Kevin Knight
  • Chris Jericho
  • Jey Uso

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Two WWE wrestlers featured in new Netflix teaser

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE’s Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan are both featured in a new Netflix teaser video.

The promo, which was released on Christmas Day, hypes that Netflix will be making an announcement on January 7, 2026 regarding what’s next for the streaming giant. It appears that date is when Netflix will be unveiling some of its programming for the new year, with Belair and Morgan included in the video as WWE representatives. WWE Raw is entering its second year on Netflix — and season two of the docuseries WWE Unreal is also set to premiere in January.

“Another year has ended, but your future is on its way,” Netflix wrote. “So go on, we know you have questions. All you have to do is ask. What Next? Jan 7, 2026.”

The January 5 edition of WWE Raw will celebrate the one-year anniversary of Raw coming to Netflix. Branded as “Stranger Things Night,” the episode is a crossover between WWE and one of the most popular scripted series that Netflix has ever produced. Among the matches set for the show is a World Heavyweight Championship bout with CM Punk defending against Bron Breakker.

At the moment, Belair is still sidelined because of the hand injury that she suffered at WrestleMania 41. She is hoping that her broken knuckle will finally be fixed soon.

A shoulder injury kept Morgan away from WWE programming for a good portion of 2025, but she was able to make her return last month at Survivor Series.

WWE’s Bianca Belair says finger injury is getting ‘fixed’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Absent for several months now, Bianca Belair is still recovering from her finger injury.

Sidelined from in-ring action for over six months, Belair is now inching closer to her WWE return date after suffering a severe finger injury while wrestling IYO Sky and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 41.

During a latest session of Q&A on her Instagram stories, Belair was asked about the status of her finger to which she responded “It’s getting fixed” with a prayer hands emoji.

In the same Q&A session, she also opened up about gaining 20 pounds during her ongoing absence but also losing ten pounds of it. In the same session, she also shared her list of things which has kept her busy.

Bianca Belair comments on her WWE return date

A few weeks ago, while speaking on an episode of BET’s 106 & Sports, Belair shared details about her potential WWE return date.

“So I broke my knuckle, not my finger, I broke my knuckle, I broke the joint,” Belair said. “It’s something that I thought was going to be a very straightforward, you know, 8-12 weeks. It’s been almost six months at this point.”

“I was in a triple threat with Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. And we were going to the top rope, because that’s what we do, and we came off the top rope and Rhea landed straight on my hand and it just crushed everything in my finger. So it’s been a crazy journey. You know, being an athlete and having an injury, you rely on your body and now my body’s not doing what it’s supposed to do. But I’m hoping that I can be back in the ring soon.”

Despite her absence from in-ring action, Belair has actively appeared on WWE television and made other media appearances.

Daily Update: Bianca Belair, YOH NJPW angle, Big Event NY

Posted on by Joseph Currier

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  • Tay Melo reacted to her and Anna Jay losing to Marina Shafir & Megan Bayne in AEW’s Women’s Tag Team title tournament:
    • Tonight was hard.
    • When the world shut down during Covid, Anna and I used to talk about one day competing for these tag belts. Five years later, that dream finally became real… and losing in the first round hurts in a way that’s hard to explain.
    • We believed in this moment so much. We poured so much of ourselves into this team, into growing together, into giving everything every time we stepped in the ring.
    • Sometimes things don’t go the way you hoped ,even when your heart is all in.
    • It is what it is.
    • But I’m grateful for everyone who’s been on this journey with us and for all the love you’ve shown.
    • Thank you for caring as much as we did.
    • I love you @annajay____
  • The New York Post spoke with Kris Statlander ahead of Full Gear.
  • Kevin Knight was a guest on the Full Gear preview edition of AEW Unrestricted.
  • Alicia Atout and MJF have adopted a new dog named KUMA:
    • It looks like we adopted an eight-year-old Akita!
    • Meet KUMA — the second we saw him, we completely fell in love. He’s chill, silly, loving, and absolutely huge.
    • Welcome home, buddy. We’re so happy that this gentle giant is now a part of The Friedman Family.
  • At the opening night of World Tag League 2025 today, NJPW ran a show-long angle where YOH demanded that he, Master Wato & Toru Yano be able to defend their NEVER Six-Man Tag Team titles at Wrestle Kingdom 20. The request was finally granted by NJPW Chairman Naoki Sugabayashi after a protest by YOH. Opponents for the match have not been announced yet.
  • NJPW has opened up additional tickets for the January 4 Wrestle Kingdom show at the Tokyo Dome.
  • TNA Wrestling named BDE, Mila Moore, and Tessa Blanchard as All Star award winners from its events in Orlando at Full Sail University:
    • @itsbrandonde showed incredible heart and courage holding his own against @AJFrancis410 in BDE’s first TNA singles match, proving how far he’s come in the early stages of his wrestling career.
    • @itsmilamoore stepped up on short notice to compete in a high-stakes, high-profile Knockouts World Tag Team Title match – making a memorable impact in her first TNA+ live special event.
    • Tessa Blanchard continues to show incredible dedication and readiness to help others, both in the ring and behind the scenes.
  • While in El Paso, Texas, TNA World Champion Frankie Kazarian visited an Eddie Guerrero mural: “Eddie Guerrero is what every professional wrestler should aspire to be. Heart, athleticism, authenticity, drive and passion. Honored to be representing @ThisIsTNA as World Champion in El Paso paying my respects to one of the very best to ever do it.”
  • Denise Salcedo interviewed Lacey Lane (former WWE wrestler Kayden Carter).
  • Impractical Jokers star Sal Vulcano appeared on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet.
  • Juggalo Championship Wrestling is giving out free Thanksgiving turkeys at its TV taping in Detroit this Saturday.

WOL: AEW Blood & Guts aftermath, injury/health updates, daily news

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Image: AEW

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Filthy Tom Lawlor is back with tons to talk about including health updates on everyone from Jim Ross to Ric Flair to Bianca Belair and more, the full BLOOD AND GUTS recap from Wednesday, ratings notes, AJ Styles’ retirement, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Click Here to Listen or watch on YouTube

Several former NXT stars announced for WWE NXT Homecoming

Posted on by Ian Carey

Finn Balor, Bianca Belair, Bobby Roode, Sami Zayn, and former General Manager William Regal have been announced for NXT Homecoming.

The news was announced on Tuesday via WWE NXT social media platforms, posting:

“GLORIOUS! Bobby Roode will be at #NXTHomecoming TONIGHT at Full Sail!”

“THE EST @BiancaBelairWWE returns to #WWENXT TONIGHT for #NXTHomecoming!”

“One of the greatest #WWENXT Superstars of all time  @SamiZayn returns to Full Sail TONIGHT for #NXTHomecoming!”

“No messing around. @RealKingRegal heads to #WWENXT for #NXTHomecoming TONIGHT from Full Sail!”

and

“The Prince returns. @FinnBalor comes back to #WWENXT for #NXTHomecoming TONIGHT at Full Sail!”

Tuesday’s show at NXT’s former home will feature several former NXT wrestlers, including Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Tyler Breeze and Rhea Ripley.

Belair has not wrestled since WrestleMania due to a broken finger suffered in her match against IYO Sky and Rhea Ripley on the show.

Roode currently works as a WWE producer, a role he’s held since 2024. He hasn’t wrestled in over three years after undergoing two neck fusion surgeries, a C5/6 cervical fusion in November 2022 and a C4/5 fusion in May 2023. He said in an interview with Chris Van Vliet in 2024 that he is medically cleared to return, but is happy with his current role.

WWE NXT Homecoming, Tuesday, September 16 —

  • Rhea Ripley, Lyra Valkyria & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley & Jazmyn Nyx
  • NXT North American Champion Ethan Page defends against Tyler Breeze
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss defend against Izzi Dame & Tatum Paxley
  • Trick Williams & Carmelo Hayes vs. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
  • The Grayson Waller Effect with NXT Champion Oba Femi & number one contender Ricky Saints
  • Bobby Roode, Bianca Belair, Sami Zayn, William Regal to appear

Report: Bianca Belair nearing WWE return

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A finger injury has kept Bianca Belair on the sidelines since WrestleMania, but it looks like that will be changing soon.

WrestleVotes reports that Belair is nearing a return and could be introduced back onto WWE television soon after SummerSlam. The report says she’s expected to be medically cleared next week.

“According to sources, we are told Bianca Belair is closing in on her return,” WrestleVotes tweeted. “The former 3 time Women’s Champion is expected to be cleared for action this upcoming week and could appear as soon as the SmackDown following SummerSlam on 8/9. She won’t be cleared ahead of this weekend, per one source.”

Belair was involved in an instant classic at WrestleMania 41 this April, facing off against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match for the Women’s World Championship. Belair broke her finger during the match but recently told CBS Sports that she’s on the “tail end” of the healing process.

“I broke it in three places and the joint. It healed, but it won’t bend,” she said. “You can’t wrestle with a straight finger because it’ll break again… I can’t even sew right now. I can’t even make gear.”

Belair has made a couple of appearances for WWE while sidelined, including being the special guest referee for Jade Cargill vs. Naomi at Evolution.

Naomi is the current Women’s World Champion after cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase during SKY vs. Ripley at Evolution. At SummerSlam night two this Sunday, Naomi is defending the title in a triple threat against those two competitors. Cargill is challenging Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s Championship on night one.

Bianca Belair reflects on WWE WrestleMania 41: ‘It was just magic’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

When Bianca Belair reflects on her instant classic from WrestleMania 41, one of the things that makes the match special is that it was just her, Rhea Ripley, and IYO SKY doing what they do best.

Belair, Ripley, and SKY had one of the best matches of 2025 so far when they opened night two of WrestleMania 41 this April. Their triple threat match stole the show that night, even earning high praise from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Belair looked back at the match and how it proved you don’t need to break out new, never-seen-before moves to create magic in the ring.

“It was just magic,” she said. “And what I love most about that match, and I’ve told them this too, is that sometimes when you’re at WrestleMania or planning a match, you think like, it’s WrestleMania, I have to go out there, we have to do this, that, we have to do that, we have to pull out these new moves. If you watch that match, none of us did anything that we don’t normally do.

“And so I think we had the best of both worlds. You had everything that Rhea does, you have everything that I do, you had the high-flying moves that IYO has. We had moments in there, it was emotion in there, and we literally just went out there and did what we did, and that was good enough, and it ended up being great. And I love that because it’s not always about the moves, it’s really about the magic that you create in there and what you make people feel.”

Belair said she’s only watched the match back once, and that was because her husband Montez Ford urged her to.

“I’ve actually only watched the match back once, and it’s only because my husband forced me to watch it. Because lot of times if I have a really good match and it goes well and it goes great, I don’t want to watch it back because I know I’m going to pick it apart,” Belair said. “So I was like, ‘Just give me a few days, let me just live in the moment, and let me just be happy about it.’ I was like, ‘I don’t want to watch.’ He’s like, ‘You have to watch it.’

“So we were sitting at home, he put it on, and I watched it, and I enjoyed it. I didn’t pick it apart, but I’ll probably never watch it again, because it just takes way too much out of me, because I get nervous when I watch it again. I feel all the emotions again. By the end of watching, I just feel so exhausted. So I’m like, okay, one and done, and I’m happy with that.”

SKY retained the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania but dropped the belt earlier this month when Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase during the main event of Evolution.

Since WrestleMania, Belair has been sidelined since suffering a broken finger in the triple threat. She is still recovering from the injury and doesn’t have a return date set yet.

Bianca Belair shares update on broken finger she suffered at WWE WrestleMania

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

Bianca Belair is leaving the door open for a possible return at next month’s WWE SummerSlam despite a broken finger.

Speaking to CBS Sports while doing media for WWE Unreal on Netflix, Belair revealed that she broke her finger in three places at WrestleMania 41 as well as the joint.

“It healed, but it won’t bend,” she said. “You can’t wrestle with a straight finger because it’ll break again… I can’t even sew right now. I can’t even make gear.”

She said she has suffered broken fingers previously, but this is taking longer than the four-to-six weeks it has in the past. It’s unclear if she will need surgery, but in the meantime, she said a SummerSlam appearance is not out of the question.

“We’re on the tail end of this healing process, so we might have time. But you never know. Crazy things happen,” she said.

Belair broke her finger in the three-way WWE Women’s World title match at WrestleMania 41 that saw IYO SKY successfully defend against Belair and Rhea Ripley. She did appear as a special guest referee at Evolution in the anything goes match between Jade Cargill and Naomi.

Special guest referee added to WWE Evolution match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Jade Cargill and Naomi’s no holds barred match at WWE Evolution will have a special guest referee.

After a brawl between Cargill and Naomi took place at Saturday Night’s Main Event tonight, it was announced that Bianca Belair will referee their grudge match at Evolution. The three were previously aligned as a trio before Naomi turned heel by attacking Cargill. Belair being the referee for Evolution should reveal whether her loyalties lie with Cargill or Naomi.

Belair is currently sidelined with a finger injury that she suffered in her triple threat match against IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 41, though she did appear on SmackDown in May for an angle with Naomi and Cargill.

Both Cargill and Naomi are currently title contenders in the SmackDown women’s division. As the Queen of the Ring winner, Cargill will challenge either Tiffany Stratton or Trish Stratus for the WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Naomi holds the women’s Money in the Bank briefcase and could cash it in for a title shot whenever she wants.

State Farm Arena in Atlanta is hosting Evolution on Sunday night. It’s the first time the all-women’s PLE has taken place since its inaugural edition in 2018.

WWE Evolution (Sunday, July 13) —

  • Women’s World Champion IYO SKY defends against Rhea Ripley
  • WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton defends against Trish Stratus
  • NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne defends against Jordynne Grace
  • Triple threat match: Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch defends against Bayley and Lyra Valkyria
  • Four-way match: Women’s Tag Team Champions Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, Asuka & Kairi Sane, and Sol Ruca & Zaria
  • No holds barred match: Jade Cargill vs. Naomi (Bianca Belair will be special guest referee)
  • Battle royal for a women’s title shot at Clash in Paris