Stephanie Vaquer has shed new light on the time away from WWE television that followed her WWE Women’s World Championship loss at WrestleMania 42, revealing that she underwent surgery during her absence from the ring.
Vaquer lost the championship to Liv Morgan at WrestleMania 42 and subsequently disappeared from WWE programming. She ultimately returned on the episode of WWE Raw that followed SummerSlam, later reclaiming the title from Morgan in a major live event match in Santiago, Chile. The champion has now explained that her break was not simply time away from television, but a necessary period to address her health.
Speaking with Yael Rueda in an interview conducted in Spanish, Vaquer discussed the emotional and physical difficulty of recovering after surgery. While she did not disclose the precise procedure she underwent, she made clear that the inability to maintain her normal training routine was especially challenging.
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“It was very difficult because coming out of surgery and having to wait without training, I think that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” Vaquer said. “Not being active in my training, but I returned to the ring, and stepping into the ring for me felt like coming back to life.”
For more background on this topic, read Kendal Grey Says Doctors Are ‘Still Not On My Side’ Amid Continued WWE NXT Absence.
The comments add important context to a turbulent stretch in Vaquer’s WWE career. A loss as significant as her WrestleMania 42 defeat to Morgan could have been framed solely as an in-ring setback in the championship picture. Instead, Vaquer was also dealing with a recovery process that required her to stop training and remain out of active competition for a period of time.
For an athlete whose presentation has been built around intensity, physical sharpness, and a relentless in-ring style, that forced pause carried obvious weight. Vaquer’s description of entering the ring as feeling like “coming back to life” reflected more than the relief of returning to a weekly WWE environment. It underlined how central wrestling and training are to her day-to-day identity.
Health concerns followed WrestleMania 42
The nature of Vaquer’s injury had been uncertain in the aftermath of WrestleMania 42. She had been said to be dealing with a high ankle sprain after the event. However, Dave Meltzer later reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Vaquer had suffered an AC joint sprain in her shoulder.
Vaquer has not offered further details regarding the surgery itself, including whether it was connected to her ankle, shoulder, or another issue. Her latest remarks confirm only that surgery was part of the time away and that the recovery required a difficult stretch without training.
That distinction is significant. Professional wrestlers routinely work through soreness and minor injuries, particularly in a demanding promotion with regular television, premium live events, travel, and live-event obligations. Surgery, followed by a period in which an athlete cannot train, represents a much more substantial interruption. Vaquer’s wording also suggests that the mental side of recovery was as difficult as the physical limitations.
There is no indication that she is currently limited in the ring. On the contrary, Vaquer stated that she has returned “better than ever,” a confident message from a champion who has already regained the WWE Women’s World Championship since coming back.
A championship return in Chile
Vaquer’s road back reached a defining milestone in her native Chile. After returning to WWE action, “La Primera” defeated Liv Morgan to regain the WWE Women’s World Championship at a live event in Santiago. The match was especially notable not only because Vaquer recaptured the title, but because she did so in front of a home-country audience.
Becky Lynch served as the special guest referee for the bout, placing another major name at the center of an already high-profile championship encounter. With Lynch in the officiating role and Morgan defending against a returning former champion, the Santiago match carried considerable stakes beyond a standard live-event title defense.
The victory gave Vaquer a rapid measure of redemption after WrestleMania 42. Morgan had taken the championship from her on WWE’s biggest stage, and Vaquer’s subsequent absence left the division without an immediate response from the former titleholder. Her eventual return changed that picture, while the title win in Santiago completed a dramatic turnaround.
It was also a deeply fitting location for Vaquer’s comeback to the top of the division. Winning a world championship is significant under any circumstances. Winning it back in Chile, after a health-related absence and after the frustration of being unable to train, added a personal dimension that cannot be replicated on a routine television show.
Vaquer did not minimize the hardship of the layoff in her remarks. Rather than treating it as a brief bump in the road, she identified the inactivity as among the hardest experiences of her life. That makes the title victory, and the return to regular competition that preceded it, feel even more consequential.
Liv Morgan and Becky Lynch remain focused on the champion
Vaquer’s return to the top has not brought peace to the WWE Women’s World Championship picture. Both Morgan and Lynch are now targeting Vaquer and the title, keeping the champion at the center of a crowded and potentially volatile situation.
Morgan remains the woman who defeated Vaquer at WrestleMania 42 and held the championship before Vaquer’s win in Santiago. That history gives Morgan an immediate and straightforward case for wanting another opportunity. She defeated Vaquer on WWE’s grandest stage, and Vaquer’s championship recovery came during a live event rather than a widely televised premium live event. The former champion’s desire to reverse that result is easy to understand.
Lynch, meanwhile, has her own proximity to the title picture after serving as special guest referee for the Santiago encounter. A special referee role can place a wrestler directly into the orbit of a rivalry, particularly when a championship changes hands. With Lynch now also pursuing Vaquer, the WWE Women’s World Champion could soon find herself navigating challenges from two opponents with distinct reasons to want the same prize.
The situation creates a difficult first phase of Vaquer’s new reign. She is attempting to establish that her return has made her stronger than before while dealing with Morgan’s championship resentment and Lynch’s pursuit of gold. The champion’s physical condition will naturally remain a point of interest as those threats intensify, though Vaquer’s own message is one of readiness rather than concern.
Her declaration that she came back better than ever carries particular importance in that environment. A champion returning from surgery could invite questions about durability, ring conditioning, and whether a difficult recovery might leave an opening for rivals. Vaquer’s statement directly rejects that framing. She is presenting her time away as a period that made returning to the ring more meaningful, not as an excuse or a weakness.
Vaquer’s perspective on an absence that changed her
Vaquer’s comments offer a candid look at an aspect of wrestling that is often obscured by championship storylines and match results. When a performer is absent, the focus usually turns quickly to when that person will return and what angle awaits them. The waiting period itself can be physically draining and emotionally frustrating, particularly for someone accustomed to preparing, training, and performing at a high level.
For Vaquer, the hardest part was not being active in training. That detail stands out because rehabilitation can require discipline even when it does not resemble a wrestler’s familiar routine. The inability to work at full capacity, test oneself in the ring, and follow a normal preparation schedule can be isolating. Vaquer’s reaction upon returning suggests that absence made her appreciation for competition even stronger.
Her WrestleMania 42 loss, surgery, television disappearance, Raw return, and eventual championship victory in Chile now form one connected chapter. It began with a painful defeat and an uncertain injury picture. It continued through a recovery process Vaquer found extraordinarily difficult. It ended, at least for now, with her once again holding the WWE Women’s World Championship.
That does not mean the chapter is finished. Morgan and Lynch are both pursuing Vaquer, and the champion has yet to reveal any additional details about the surgery that interrupted her year. But the essential message from Vaquer is clear: the time away was necessary, the recovery was demanding, and returning to the ring restored something she felt she had been missing.
Stephanie Vaquer is back as WWE Women’s World Champion, and her latest comments make clear that the path to reclaiming that position required far more than simply waiting for another title opportunity.
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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.