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Rhea Ripley was forced to relinquish the Women's World Championship on the April 15 episode of RAW due to a shoulder injury. WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long was disappointed to hear the news and hopes The Eradicator bounces back quickly.
Ripley sustained the injury during an altercation with her long-time rival Liv Morgan on the April 8 episode of RAW. Morgan attacked the Judgment Day member backstage, causing her to suffer a legitimate AC joint sprain.
Long appeared on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine with reporter Bill Apter and host Mac Davis. Discussing Ripley's setback, the legendary wrestling personality praised her work in WWE over the last year declaring that she deserves every accolade she gets.
"Yeah, it was [unfortunate], man, especially for her, man, because she's an outstanding talent. That girl works her b*tt off, man. I mean, she works her b*tt off. She deserves everything that she's got because she worked hard for it. But things happen in the wrestling business, you know what I mean?" said Long. [0:46 – 1:02]
Ripley has avoided serious long-term injuries since making her WWE debut in 2017. For that reason, Long thinks the Aussie might initially struggle to deal with being away from the ring.
"You can get an injury at any time, so I think this is probably gonna weigh on her a little bit mentally because this is the first time I'm sure anything happened like that to her," he said. [1:02 – 1:12]
Watch the video above to hear Long's opinion on fans criticizing Sheamus' physique following his RAW return.
Teddy Long predicts how Rhea Ripley will react
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Rhea Ripley is likely to be out of action for three to four months. If that is the case, she could return by SummerSlam on August 3.
Although the news was tough for Ripley to take, Teddy Long does not expect the injury to affect her in the long run. He expects her to do whatever is necessary to get back on the saddle and come back better than ever.
"Plus, in the position that she's in now, she's the champion, she was on top. So, to have to fall back now and try to get well and regroup, that's pretty rough. But, me knowing Rhea Ripley, she'll get whatever she needs, the surgery or whatever, and she'll get back in the gym, and she'll come back better than ever," declared Long. [1:12 – 1:30]
As a result of Ripley's injury, her title reign abruptly ended after 380 days. Liv Morgan is among the superstars to stake a claim to capture the vacant Women's World Championship.
What was your favorite moment of Rhea Ripley's title reign? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
