Bianca Belair is officially heading into surgery — and this time, it’s serious.
On February 15, 2026, Belair revealed via Instagram Stories that she is scheduled to undergo finger surgery on February 16, nearly a year after suffering the injury that’s kept her out of the ring since WrestleMania 41.
The former WWE Women’s Champion hasn’t wrestled a match since April 2025, when she competed in a brutal Triple Threat against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY for the WWE Women’s World Championship. During that match, things went sideways in a big way.
Belair’s hand was crushed when Ripley landed directly on it during a top-rope sequence — an impact that turned out to be far worse than anyone realized at the time. Back in November, Belair made it clear this wasn’t just a simple broken finger.
“So I broke my knuckle — which is not my finger — I broke my knuckle joint. It’s something that I thought was gonna be a very straightforward, eight to 12 weeks. It’s been almost six months at this point.”
She also didn’t sugarcoat what happened in the ring.
“Rhea landed straight on my hand and just crushed everything in my finger.”
Reports later confirmed the finger was broken in three places, making the recovery far more complicated than a routine fracture. What was expected to sideline her for a couple of months has now stretched close to a full year.
While Belair did make a brief return to WWE programming in summer 2025 as a special guest referee at Evolution, she has not competed in an actual match since WrestleMania 41. Now, surgery suggests WWE and Belair are finally addressing the injury once and for all instead of continuing to manage it conservatively.
With WrestleMania 42 right around the corner, the timing raises questions. Is this procedure the final step toward a full in-ring comeback? Or could it delay her return even further?
Ringside will keep you updated on Bianca Belair’s surgery and recovery timeline as more details become available.
Do you think this surgery sets up Bianca Belair’s return to WWE television soon, or should the company take extra time to ensure she’s fully healed? Sound off in the comments.
