Stephanie Vaquer was not still hurt. Rather, WWE was sitting on her return for a while.
PWInsider reports that sources indicate Vaquer had been cleared and ready to go for some time, and was held off television until the storyline moment was right so the return would not be wasted.
That reframes months of false starts. Vaquer was written off on the April 27 Raw, when Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez attacked her backstage and Perez drove an equipment case into her shoulder. Michael Cole announced a second-degree AC sprain on commentary. The injury was real.
Then came the stop-start updates. PWInsider reported in mid-May that people inside WWE expected her back on the May 18 Raw in Greensboro. She did not appear. The next report moved her to Clash in Italy weekend. She did not travel to Europe. WrestleVotes later pointed to SummerSlam. She was not there either.
According to this report, the plan was settled over the weekend. WWE booked her travel very late to keep fans from spotting her, then hid her once she arrived.
It worked. Vaquer returned on Monday’s Raw during the Becky Lynch confrontation with Judgment Day, went through the group and put Liv Morgan down before facing off with Lynch.
The target has not changed. Vaquer lost the Women’s World Championship to Morgan at WrestleMania 42 in a match that ran under seven minutes, with reports at the time saying she was already carrying the shoulder problem. Their program had been set to continue after Mania before the injury shelved it.
Morgan now has two challengers who want the same belt.
