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Breaking: WWE Champion Pulled From SmackDown At Last Minute

By Ahmed Hamdy • Published Feb 20, 2026 19:21 EST
WWE logo over Giulia Roxanne Perez IYO SKY

A top WWE star was pulled from tonight’s episode of SmackDown despite being announced for a huge champion vs. champion match.

IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley have been fighting champions. Earlier this month, the Women’s Tag Team Champions successfully defended their title against Kiana James and the Women’s United States Champion, Guilia, on SmackDown.

Last week, they battled The Irresistible Forces on the Blue Brand in a title match that ended in a no-contest. Ahead of tonight’s SmackDown, the company announced that SKY will go head-to-head with Guilia in a champion vs. champion non-title match.

IYO SKY Pulled From WWE SmackDown

Just minutes before SmackDown, the Stamford-based company made a surprising announcement that IYO SKY would not be competing tonight. Instead, her tag team partner, Rhea Ripley, would replace her in the match against Guilia.

BREAKING NEWS: @RheaRipley_WWE will replace @Iyo_SkyWWE and face @giulia0221g on #SmackDown tonight, 8/7c on @SYFY!

Also read: Rhea Ripley’s Current Partner Publicly Apologizes To Mami’s “Ex”

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