Bianca Belair Injury Update, Latest on WWE Star's Surgery and Potential Timeline to Return

Former WWE Women's Champion Bianca Belair has been out of action for nearly a year since suffering a finger injury at WrestleMania 41 last April, and her return to the ring will likely be delayed even further.

Belair announced on Instagram on Sunday night that she is set for surgery on her injured finger on Monday.

Belair suffered the injury while competing in a highly acclaimed Triple Threat match against Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY. She explained in November that the injury occurred when "Rhea landed straight on my hand and just crushed everything in my finger," per Steve Carrier of Ringside News. She also detailed why her recovery hasn't been as simple as she expected.

"So I broke my knuckle — which is not my finger — I broke my knuckle joint. It's something that I thought was gonna be a very straightforward, eight to 12 weeks. It's been almost six months at this point," she said at the time.

Carrier noted that reports confirmed that Belair's finger "was broken in three places, making the recovery far more complicated than a routine fracture."

Belair's surgery is likely to keep her sidelined during the road to WrestleMania 42, which is scheduled for April 18 and 19. While she will continue to be missed by fans, there is hope that her procedure is the next step toward getting her back in the ring once she's finally fully recovered.