Former WWE champion not expected to return before WrestleMania 42

A WWE RAW Superstar is reportedly not expected to be back before WrestleMania 42 next year. Zoey Stark suffered an injury during a match on the red brand a few weeks ago and is currently out of action.

The former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion was in action on the May 19 episode of RAW. She took on Rhea Ripley and Kairi Sane in a Triple Threat Money in the Bank qualifying match. Stark tried to hit The Pirate Princess with a missile dropkick, but the latter was seemingly out of position, which caused her to botch the move and injure her leg.

According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful on X, WWE sources don't expect Zoey Stark to return from her injury before WrestleMania 42.

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"WWE sources that @FightfulSelect spoke with say they don't expect Zoey Stark back before WrestleMania in 2026. We wish her a speedy recovery," wrote Sapp.

You can check out the tweet below:

WWE RAW star Lyra Valkyria commented on Zoey Stark's injury

In an interview with Dublin Live, WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkyria spoke about the risk of stepping into the squared circle.

She described Zoey Stark's injury as heartbreaking.

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"The best people make this look so easy. We go out and make it look effortless, but we always take that risk. I can honestly say that injury was extremely, extremely heartbreaking to see live and I know that the whole locker room is really hoping that Zoey [Stark] will come through this," she said.

Valkyria added:

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"I know what it’s like to tear my ACL, but so does Zoey. I haven’t heard officially what the extent of the injury is, but I really, really hope that she is doing okay and can come through it and out the other side even better. It’s going to take a lot of mental toughness, but she’s been through it once. I’m sure she knows what’s ahead of her." [H/T - Dublin Live]

It'll be interesting to see what Triple H will have in store for Zoey Stark after she returns from injury.

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