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Rhea Ripley’s WWE RAW Absence Explained

By Monika Thapa • Published Oct 07, 2025 09:08 EDT
Rhea Ripley WWE

Rhea Ripley missed this week’s edition of Monday Night RAW.

Ripley and IYO SKY have grown closer over the past few months, which has caused tension with Asuka. Cracks began to show as Asuka sensed that IYO SKY was favoring Ripley over her in both matches and backstage interactions. This perceived favoritism led to jealousy and frustration, leaving Asuka feeling isolated and undermined.

The friction escalated on WWE RAW in the past few weeks, with Asuka growing increasingly vocal about her frustrations. She accused IYO SKY of sidelining her and playing favorites. Asuka’s resentment eventually boiled over during a recent RAW episode when she turned heel against IYO SKY by spraying poison ivy on her face.

All this drama led to a tag team match between the babyfaces Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY and the heels Asuka and Kairi Sane. They are scheduled to face off at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia, on October 11, 2025.

IYO SKY Gets Brutally Attacked on RAW Amidst Rhea Ripley’s Absence

On the go-home episode of Monday Night RAW before Crown Jewel, IYO SKY faced Kairi Sane in a singles match. Kairi Sane won the match due to some interference from Asuka, who prevented SKY from executing her finishing move. After the match, the Kabuki Warrior attacked SKY, but Ripley did not come to her ally’s aid as she was not present on the show.

This absence was explained as Ripley being busy with media and promotional activities in Australia to build hype for Crown Jewel. As the event is in Ripley’s home country, she is already there ahead of the show to fulfill ambassadorial duties and promotional appearances benefiting WWE’s local fan engagement.

The company leveraged Ripley’s hometown status to fuel enthusiasm and draw local attention. Because Ripley was engaged in press and promotional events connected to Crown Jewel, she was not present on Raw in Dallas on October 6, 2025, to help her friend.