Stephanie Vaquer appears to have avoided a lengthy spell away from the ring following the ankle injury she suffered at WWE Money in the Bank.
Vaquer was seen on crutches during the edition of WWE Raw that followed the premium live event, raising understandable concern over her immediate status. The former WWE Women’s World Champion had just come out of a difficult title match, having unsuccessfully defended the championship in a triple threat against Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch. She was also observed hobbling while leaving the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans after the event.
While the visual of Vaquer using crutches suggested a potentially serious issue, the latest information is more encouraging. The ankle injury is believed to have been legitimate, but she was not expected to miss a significant amount of time. That expectation has quickly been supported by her in-ring activity, as Vaquer worked two matches during WWE’s Hawaii Live Tours over the weekend.
Her presence on those live events does not necessarily mean the ankle is completely healed, but it is a meaningful indication that WWE does not presently view the injury as one likely to keep her sidelined for an extended period. The fact that Vaquer returned to competing so soon after Money in the Bank is especially notable after the post-show concern created by her departure from the arena and her appearance on crutches the following night.
For more background on this topic, read Drew McIntyre Says Barcelona Training Kept His WWE Return Itch Alive.
Vaquer’s championship reign ended in a high-stakes triple threat
The injury came at a significant moment in Vaquer’s WWE run. At Money in the Bank, she entered as WWE Women’s World Champion and defended the title against Morgan and Lynch. By the end of the triple threat, Vaquer was no longer champion, with Morgan regaining the championship.
Vaquer had captured the title from Morgan only last month during a non-televised match in Chile, Vaquer’s home country. The victory marked her second reign as WWE Women’s World Champion and gave the championship change an added level of importance due to the setting. However, the reign proved brief, as Morgan reclaimed the title nearly one month after losing it.
Morgan’s Money in the Bank win gave her a fourth reign with the Women’s World Championship. For Vaquer, the result created an immediate setback in the title picture, and the ankle issue added another question to her situation at a time when she would naturally be looking to pursue a rematch.
Instead, the initial focus shifted to whether “La Primera” would need time away from WWE programming. A performer appearing on crutches immediately after a major match can often signal anything from a precautionary measure to a more substantial injury. In this case, Vaquer’s subsequent work on the Hawaii Live Tours suggests the situation falls closer to the short-term end of that spectrum.
That remains an important distinction. Vaquer did sustain an ankle injury, and returning to live-event competition should not be read as confirmation that there is no physical issue at all. Rather, the available information indicates that the injury is not currently expected to force a major interruption to her WWE schedule.
Crutches on Raw led to immediate questions
Vaquer’s appearance on crutches during Raw after Money in the Bank naturally became the central visual coming out of the event. It followed her title loss and her difficult exit from the Smoothie King Center, where she was seen moving with a noticeable limp.
For viewers, that image placed the focus squarely on her health rather than only on the championship change. Vaquer had gone from defending the title in a three-way match against two prominent opponents to being visibly limited less than a day later. With no indication at that stage of how much time she might miss, her status became a key issue around the women’s division.
The encouraging aspect for Vaquer and her supporters is that reports before her live-event return had already indicated she was not expected to be absent for long. Her two matches in Hawaii now provide the strongest available evidence that the anticipated recovery timetable was indeed brief.
WWE has not established a longer absence for Vaquer within the information available, and there is no indication that she has been removed from the active roster picture. As always with an ankle injury, her workload and presentation could still be managed as needed. But her quick return to the ring makes it clear that the concern surrounding her condition has eased considerably compared with the immediate aftermath of Money in the Bank.
Becky Lynch remains part of Vaquer’s unfinished business
Although Morgan left Money in the Bank with the Women’s World Championship, Vaquer’s issues with Becky Lynch have not disappeared. On the Raw episode following the event, Vaquer and Lynch confronted one another verbally, with neither woman showing much respect for the other.
The exchange underscored that their rivalry remains unresolved despite the triple threat result. Vaquer made it clear that her animosity toward “The Man” is not finished, leaving open the possibility that Lynch could remain a major factor in Vaquer’s immediate path even with Morgan holding the title.
Lynch, meanwhile, has her own motivation in the championship chase. She is pursuing the opportunity to become a six-time world champion, and the Money in the Bank result did not provide that milestone. The loss leaves Lynch still searching for her next opening, while Vaquer has both the loss of the Women’s World Championship and her ongoing issues with Lynch to address.
The dynamic gives WWE several directions to explore. Morgan is now the champion after reclaiming the title from Vaquer, while Lynch has a clear personal and competitive interest in getting back to championship contention. Vaquer, despite the ankle injury, has already shown she is active enough to continue being part of that picture.
Just as importantly, Vaquer’s recent activity prevents her from becoming an absent figure while the title scene moves forward. If she had required an extended recovery period, Morgan and Lynch could have continued their respective trajectories without an immediate response from the former champion. Instead, Vaquer’s return to the ring keeps her connected to the story unfolding around the WWE Women’s World Championship.
What Vaquer’s quick return means going forward
There are still practical questions surrounding how WWE will handle Vaquer in the coming weeks. An ankle injury can be affected by the demands of travel, training, and match activity, so a quick live-event return does not eliminate the possibility that she could be used carefully on television. Nothing in the current information establishes that she is working at full capacity or that there will be no further attention paid to the injury.
What is clear, however, is that a major absence is not expected. That is the most important takeaway from Vaquer’s situation following Money in the Bank. She was legitimately hurt, she was visibly affected after the match, and WWE fans had reason to wonder whether the injury could take her out of the championship conversation. Her weekend matches in Hawaii have substantially changed that outlook.
Vaquer’s second title reign may have ended almost as quickly as it began, but her broader momentum does not appear to have been halted by the ankle issue. She remains tied to one of WWE’s most important women’s championship stories, with Morgan holding the title and Lynch still pursuing a historic sixth world championship.
For now, the immediate concern is no longer whether Vaquer will be gone for months. The focus instead shifts to how soon she will be able to fully reassert herself following the Money in the Bank loss and whether her next confrontation will be directed at Morgan, Lynch, or both. After a worrying start to the week on crutches, Vaquer’s return during the Hawaii Live Tours offers a far more positive sign for her near-term WWE outlook.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.