Chelsea Green expected to appear on SmackDown after orbital fracture; not expected to be stripped of interim WWE Women’s title
Interim WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green is expected to appear on Friday Night SmackDown in Boston on August 14 despite suffering a broken orbital bone, a development she confirmed on her Instagram. WrestleVotes on Fightful Select reported Green will be out of in-ring action for several weeks, but a WWE source said she is not expected to be taken off television or stripped of her championship.
Green sustained the injury during last week’s SmackDown when she teamed with Women’s US Champion Tiffany Stratton to challenge Fatal Influence (Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid) for the Women’s Tag Team titles, a match in which observers reported the injury occurred. The tag match outcome left questions about Green’s in-ring future and generated immediate speculation over whether she would relinquish the interim title.
According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, Green is expected to be sidelined from wrestling for several weeks. The same reporting cites a WWE source who indicated Green will remain on television and retain the interim championship, and that some within WWE have been impressed by the social media engagement generated by Green’s title following SummerSlam.
Green confirmed the injury on her Instagram, revealing she suffered a broken orbital bone around her right eye. That confirmation intensified online and backstage conjecture about whether she would give up the interim Women’s title.
Green won the interim WWE Women’s Championship in a ladder match at SummerSlam, a title that had been introduced due to the absence of reigning Champion Rhea Ripley. Ripley has been out of action since Clash in Italy because of a knee injury, a situation that led to the creation of the interim title.
On the storyline front, after last week’s loss Tiffany Stratton will defend the Women’s United States title against Jacy Jayne of Fatal Influence, with the report noting Green might be involved in that segment. The August 14 show is also set to feature two additional title matches and appearances from Undisputed Champion CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, and a major dark match between Oba Femi and Bron Breakker has been announced.
The August 14 edition of Friday Night SmackDown is scheduled to air live from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, and Chelsea Green is expected to appear on that episode as the promotion balances her out-of-ring recovery with ongoing television involvement.