New details have emerged regarding Stephanie Vaquer’s unexpected absence from WWE television, including the reason she was unable to compete on RAW and how her situation forced a change to the show’s original plans.
Earlier this week, reports indicated that Vaquer would be sidelined from in-ring competition indefinitely after not receiving medical clearance to wrestle. The announcement raised questions about the nature of her absence and whether she had suffered an injury.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer clarified that Vaquer is dealing with an illness rather than an injury. He also indicated that the situation is not believed to be particularly serious, although WWE does not currently have a confirmed timetable for her return. “She’s ill. It’s not anything — I was told it’s nothing terribly serious or anything. But she’s ill and she’s out,” Meltzer explained. “Indefinitely in the sense that it’s not like it’s a week. It’s something that’s indeterminate yet as far as when she’ll be back.”
Meltzer also revealed that Vaquer’s illness directly affected WWE’s creative plans for Monday’s episode of RAW. According to the report, Vaquer had originally been scheduled to compete, but her inability to appear forced the company to arrange a replacement match involving Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan. “That’s why they didn’t do that match. It wasn’t about an injury, and it wasn’t a worked storyline,” Meltzer continued. “They were going to do the match on Monday night and she got sick and could not come. And that’s why they did the Becky Lynch-Liv Morgan.”
The report further explained that the disqualification finish in the Lynch-Morgan match was a consequence of the last-minute adjustment. WWE reportedly wanted to avoid having Lynch suffer a defeat in a match that had not originally been planned. “And that’s why they did the DQ, because they didn’t want to beat Becky Lynch. But it wasn’t a match that they had planned, so they did the DQ that way — to get out of it essentially.”
Although Vaquer’s absence has been described as indefinite, Meltzer’s comments suggest that the term reflects uncertainty surrounding her recovery timetable rather than an expectation that she will necessarily be sidelined for an extended period.
For now, WWE has not announced a specific return date for Vaquer, and her in-ring status will depend on when she is medically cleared to resume competing.
