Former WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Zoey Stark has been out of action since May after tearing her ACL, MCL, and meniscus in a triple threat match on “WWE Raw.” Initially, WWE officials feared that Stark would be sidelined for the remainder of 2025. Per a new report, however, that timeline has since been pushed back much further due to the nature of her injuries.
According to BodySlam+, Stark’s current trajectory has her circling a return somewhere in the middle of 2026. With that being said, Stark’s recovery is reportedly going well, with WWE officials still “very high” on her as an in-ring performer. Those same officials have reportedly begun discussions about Stark’s character direction as well, specifically as a potential babyface upon her eventual in-ring return.
On the May 19 episode of “Raw,” Stark faced Rhea Ripley and Kairi Sane in a triple threat Money in the Bank qualifier. The match later turned to a one-on-one bout as Stark was removed from the ring after landing awkwardly off of a springboard dropkick. Reports suggested that Stark was originally meant to be pinned by Ripley; instead, Ripley pinned Sane to secure her place in the 2025 Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Meanwhile, Stark underwent surgery on her ACL, MCL, and meniscus at Rothman Orthopaedics in Orlando days later.
Since being called up to WWE’s main roster in 2023, Stark has played the role of a heel, beginning with a partnership alongside WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Following her turn on Stratus at WWE Payback 2023, Stark then aligned with Shayna Baszler, with whom she’d also work in a trio known as Pure Fusion Collective. PFC came to an end in early 2025 when both Baszler and Sonya Deville were released from WWE as talents, leaving Stark on course for a return to singles competition.
