Interim WWE Women’s Champion to be crowned at SummerSlam

WWE SummerSlam 2026 Card

An interim WWE Women’s Champion will be crowned at SummerSlam.

Raw GM Adam Pearce made the announcement shortly before Friday’s episode of SmackDown. He noted that current champion Rhea Ripley was recovering from a torn meniscus. Pearce said that while Ripley is close to returning, she won’t be cleared for SummerSlam. So in the meantime, five women will compete in qualifying matches for a ladder match that will determine the new interim champion in Minneapolis. When Ripley returns, a unification match will take place.

Ripley hasn’t been seen on WWE television in over a month. She last wrestled during the European summer tour on June 4, teaming with Charlotte Flair and Tiffany Stratton in a winning effort against Fatal Influence. In a recent interview, she acknowledged the meniscus tear and noted that her situation was “kind of a little bit up in the air.”

WWE SummerSlam (August 1 & 2)

  • WWE Championship: CM Punk defends against Cody Rhodes
  • World Heavyweight title: Roman Reigns defends against Seth Rollins
  • Hell in a Cell: Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
  • Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan defends against IYO SKY
  • Five-way ladder match for interim WWE Women’s Championship: Participants TBA
  • WWE Intercontinental title: Penta defends against Chad Gable
  • LA Knight, Solo Sikoa, and Royce Keys vs. Jacob Fatu and The Usos (challenge issued)
Bryan Rose
Bryan Rose

Bryan Rose is an editor from California that has been covering professional wrestling for well over a decade. He officially joined F4WOnline as an editor in 2017.