WrestleMania XXVIII: Maria Menounos Breaks Rib, WrestleMania Match in Jeopardy

Fox News is reporting that Maria Menounos has suffered a broken rib during a rehearsal for Dancing With the Stars.

The injury occurred a few weeks ago, but Menounos has been trying to work through the pain.

What does this mean for the diva's match?

As of now, there has been no word saying that Menounos will not be at WrestleMania. It is possible to compete with a broken rib. Wrestlers have done it many times in the past. Menounos is obviously not a wrestler, and likely will not be able to compete at the level she planned to. The fact that this injury happened weeks ago and Menounos is still competeing on Dancing With the Stars speaks to her determination.

A broken rib makes breathing very painful, and it cannot be treated like other broken bones. The only thing that can be done is to brace the ribs with a medical brace or tape.

I believe that Menounos will still be at WrestleMania. There are many different ways that she can be protected in the tag match. She will likely not see much ring time. I would also not be surprised if the WWE added another diva to each team, making it a six-person tag match.

WrestleMania is six days away, and I realize that the diva's match is considered the worst match on the card. But the fact that WWE loves getting the publicity when a celebrity wrestles makes me believe they will do everything they can to make sure Menounos shows up.

In the end, all she really needs to do is be there to get the 1-2-3.

Louie Babcock has over five years experience working in emergency medicine, and is studying biology and health science at the University of Minnesota.

Follow me on Twitter@Medic_Louie