Stephanie Vaquer Injury Update: Not Cleared for Raw, Becky Lynch Match Off
Latest update: Vaquer not cleared, match canceled
Stephanie Vaquer's return will have to wait. Raw General Manager Adam Pearce opened the October 26 Raw in Fresno by announcing that Vaquer was not medically cleared to compete, and her match with Becky Lynch was canceled.
Her status had been changing all weekend. After a WWE video, shown below, in which Vaquer threw down her crutches and declared herself cleared, WWE posted on the day of the show that "questions have arisen" about her medical availability and that Pearce would address it on Raw. The match was also taken off WWE's preview of the show. Fightful Select reported before Raw that the plan was for Pearce to say she was not cleared and for Lynch to get a title match instead, and that is exactly what happened.
With Lynch already in the building, Pearce gave her a Women's World Championship match against Liv Morgan in the main event. Lynch won by disqualification after Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez attacked her, so Morgan kept the title. Read the full story in our Raw results for October 26.
WWE has not given a new timeline for Vaquer or said whether this is a setback or just caution. What it does mean is that Lynch, not Vaquer, got the title shot, and after beating Morgan by DQ she has a fair claim to a rematch. When Vaquer is cleared, a match with Lynch is still the obvious place for her to start, and that story is simply on hold. Morgan also faces Chelsea Green at Crown Jewel on November 7, and Tiffany Stratton is waiting with her Money in the Bank briefcase, so the title picture could look very different by the time Vaquer is back.
Before Raw: Vaquer said she was cleared
Before Raw, it looked like Stephanie Vaquer was back and going straight into a big match. The former Women's World Champion said she had been medically cleared after her ankle injury, and Raw General Manager Adam Pearce made Stephanie Vaquer vs. Becky Lynch official for Raw on Monday, October 26, in Fresno, California.
She did not keep it quiet, either. In a video released by WWE on Saturday, Vaquer threw down her crutches and sent a message straight to Becky Lynch: "Becky, you wanted to know when I'm cleared? See you Monday."
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How Vaquer got hurt
Vaquer hurt her ankle at Money in the Bank on October 10, in the triple threat match where Liv Morgan pinned her to win the Women's World Championship. She was clearly limping by the end of the match, needed help from the referee and sat on the steel steps before heading to the back. Afterwards, she played it down and said it was not a big deal.
It turned out to be more serious than that. Vaquer was shown as sidelined on Raw on October 12, made appearances at WWE live events in Hawaii on crutches, and was seen backstage on Raw on October 19 with a cast on her leg.
Why Becky Lynch matters
Becky Lynch has been waiting for this. On the October 19 Raw, Lynch confronted Vaquer in the trainer's room and pushed Adam Pearce for a match. Pearce agreed that the two would meet once Vaquer was medically cleared, with the winner earning a shot at Liv Morgan's Women's World Championship. Now that Vaquer is cleared, Pearce has made it official in a "breaking news" video on social media: Vaquer vs. Lynch, this Monday on Raw.
There is history here too. Lynch was also in that Money in the Bank triple threat, so both women feel they have unfinished business with Morgan, and the winner of this match goes straight to the front of the line for the title.
Fans have missed her
Even while she was out, Vaquer was one of the most searched women in WWE. She finished second among women in our Most Googled WWE Superstars ranking for October 15 to 21, just behind Rhea Ripley, and her searches more than tripled on October 19 alone. The interest is clearly there for her return, whenever it happens.
What's next
Her record and results are on Stephanie Vaquer's profile. We will update this story when there is news on her return.
