Bianca Belair contributed to arguably the best match of WrestleMania 41. Her reward: an injury that sidelined her far longer than planned. Heading into WWE SummerSlam, Belair still can’t commit to an in-ring return.
Belair broke multiple fingers during her women’s world championship match with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky in April. She’s broken fingers before, an injury that commonly takes four to six weeks to heal. Three months later, the closest she’s come to an in-ring return was a passive role as special guest referee at Evolution. Belair said one finger, which fractured at the joint, is the culprit.
“I broke it in three places and the joint. It healed, but it won’t bend,” Belair told CBS Sports while discussing Netflix’s “WWE: Unreal” and its July 29 premiere. “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 is waiting to see if surgery is necessary, but would not rule out a SummerSlam appearance 10 days before WWE’s big weekend.
“We’re on the tail end of this healing process, so we might have time,” Belair said. “But you never know. Crazy things happen.”
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The layoff has been professionally frustrating for Belair, but personally, it’s offered relief. Belair signed with WWE as a rookie in 2016. Four years later, she won a world title at WrestleMania. Belair has been juggling many responsibilities as a star attraction. After a grueling road to WrestleMania 41, Belair required time to breathe.
“I needed this break,” Belair admitted. “I’ve been going for the past five years nonstop in the title picture, filming reality TV shows and appearances. I think I had over 300 appearances in one year.”
Netflix’s “WWE: Unreal” created a lot of chatter. The docuseries peels back WWE’s curtain, taking viewers into creative meetings and following superstars as they advance their careers or navigate injuries. Some wrestlers and fans may struggle with such transparency, but Belair sees the series as an illuminating tool.
“I was very excited when the opportunity was presented to me,” Belair said. “As someone who didn’t watch wrestling growing up, I had many misconceptions about WWE. Once that curtain was pulled back, I completely fell in love with wrestling. I had a newfound respect for it…
“WWE is really an engine. It’s not just us hitting moves or grabbing a chair. There is an art and skill to what we do. I think once they see that, they’ll respect what we do so much more.”