WWE Plans SummerSlam 2025 Without Rhea Ripley in Main Events

Rhea Ripley, a top WWE star, is set to compete in a Triple Threat Match for the Women's World Championship against Naomi and IYO SKY at SummerSlam 2025, though she reportedly will not headline either night of WWE's first two-night SummerSlam event. Meanwhile, both Ripley and CM Punk, who will challenge Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title, are featured in WWE's new Netflix docuseries "WWE: Unreal," which aims to humanize wrestlers by breaking kayfabe and showing behind-the-scenes aspects of the industry. Ripley has expressed mixed feelings about the docuseries, appreciating WWE's innovation but feeling uncomfortable with cameras invading private moments and the potential overexposure of personal content. She acknowledges the shift in wrestling culture, where fans see wrestlers in everyday settings, reducing mystique, but she desires control over how much of her personal life is shared. Additionally, Ripley made a public plea to fans to respect her tattoo artist's wishes by not requesting her original tattoo artwork. Despite recent setbacks, Ripley remains a significant figure in WWE storylines and continues to engage actively with other wrestlers on RAW.