Poor Naomi. Even if you’re not one to feel the glow yourself, her recent turn of events couldn’t be more unfortunate. Now, even her WrestleMania status is in question.
Naomi won the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber from Alexa Bliss, but her leg took a bad turn in the same moonsault that won her the championship. Bliss gave her a week to defend the title in a rematch, but Naomi didn’t recover in time–and was forced to relinquish the title shortly thereafter.
The on-screen story mirrors the real-life story. WWE’s doctors expected Naomi to be back in ring shape quickly, but the injury proved to be a bit more stubborn. That’s the reason for the delayed vacation of the title.
It looked like Naomi would be heading into WrestleMania in her hometown of Orlando with the top prize in her division, but now? We just don’t know. Neither does Naomi herself, judging by this response to an inquiry about her recovery on social media.
It's going well just not at fast as I'd like still don't know if I will be healthy in time for mania ? https://t.co/NbQfmUC9zr
— Trinity (@TheTrinity_Fatu) February 28, 2017
It’s gotta be a heartbreaker for her, since this was the first title win in her entire career. Though she was mostly around as a manager and backup dancer through her early WWE days, she stepped up her game in recent years. Room to improve? Sure. But when she captured the title at Elimination Chamber the crowd was fully behind her.
We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about Naomi’s condition.
Do you think she’ll be back in time for WrestleMania? Who would you want to see her fight? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook!