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Rhea Ripley celebrated a milestone birthday on Sunday, and the injured WWE star did not need many words to mark the occasion.
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Ripley turned 30 on October 11 and acknowledged the birthday with a characteristically brief post on X: “30 🙃”
The post quickly took off, drawing more than 288,000 views and 19,000 likes within roughly five hours.
The birthday comes during an unusual stretch for Ripley, who has spent much of 2026 as one of WWE’s biggest stars but is currently sidelined following knee surgery.
When Will Rhea Ripley Return to WWE?
There is still no confirmed timetable for Ripley’s return.
Ripley suffered a torn meniscus earlier this summer and underwent surgery in August after initially attempting to avoid an operation. In her post-surgery update, Ripley said surgery was not her “first option” but eventually became necessary.
Life update.
After just under 14 year in wrestling and doing sports my entire life… It’s caught up to me. Surgery was never a first option for me, but it got to the point that it was needed…
First one down…
Hopefully no more…
I’ve survived, now it’s time to start thriving… pic.twitter.com/wmuD1qQv97
— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) August 6, 2026
More recently, Ripley has been back around a wrestling ring. She and husband Buddy Matthews participated as coaches in the SPYDA x BODY BIZ wrestling masterclass in Florida in late September, with Ripley sharing a photo from the event.
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🕷️💪🏼 https://t.co/SWBq5lpG8l
— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) September 27, 2026
However, Ripley cautioned fans against interpreting her increased activity as evidence that a WWE return is imminent. After footage circulated of her walking around at the training session, she revealed that she had only recently regained that ability.
“Walking and wrestling are very different,” Ripley wrote, adding that she had learned to walk again the previous week and asking fans to remain patient.
That remains the most significant update on her status. Ripley appears to be making progress and has been active during her recovery, but neither she nor WWE has announced a return date.
Rhea Ripley Reaches 30 With Plenty Already Accomplished
At just 30, Ripley has already built a Hall of Fame career. She has headlined WrestleMania multiple times, become a four-time world champion, won the Royal Rumble and captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship twice.
My favorite Ripley match remains her classic against IYO SKY at Evolution 2025. Before John Cena and AJ Styles wrote their love letter to professional wrestling at Crown Jewel later that year, Ripley and SKY had my match of the year.
Compared to stars from previous eras, including someone like Trish Stratus, Ripley has already accomplished more than enough to retire as one of the defining women of her generation. That does not appear to be anywhere near the horizon, though. At 30, much of Ripley’s career may still be ahead of her.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 3:38 PM.