Charlotte Flair said to be set for surgery, but reports conflict on how long she’ll be out (UPDATED)

WWE sold the story of Nia Jax injuring Charlotte Flair pretty hard last night (June 22) on Raw. It looked like a way to transition her out of the Raw Women’s title scene and into a feud with Nia Jax.

Turns out, it’s cover for something legitimate. What that something is, and how long she’ll be out as as a result, is still something of a mystery.

Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reports that the 34 year old will undergo surgery for something other than the shoulder/collarbone WWE’s storyline update mentioned. Beyond that, he didn’t mention the type of operation, or use the word injury.

Meltzer also said the hope is that Charlotte will be back by SummerSlam (currently scheduled for Aug. 23), but that that’s not a guaranteed.

TalkSport’s Alex McCarthy also reports that Flair will be undergoing surgery, but presents the operation as something she’ll be doing while taking a leave of absence from wrestling: “She’s due a break and our sources says [sic] she feels she’s in need of one.”

McCarthy’s sources also told him, “There’s a 0 percent chance Charlotte returns for SummerSlam.” Instead, next year’s Royal Rumble is mentioned as a target date, with November’s Survivor Series being a possibility “if a good story pops up.”

There’s lots of room for speculation here, and given how polarizing the 12 time champ is, there will surely be plenty of it.

Whatever the reason or the duration, Flair’s absence comes at a tough time for a WWE already lacking star power with Becky Lynch leaving to start a family, Roman Reigns sitting out the pandemic, and Edge injured.

We wish Charlotte a speedy and full recovery from whatever surgery she’s having, and will keep you posted on news - and rumors - about her status.

UPDATE: PWInsider’s Mike Johnson has filed his report, which says Flair is “undergoing a planned elective surgery during this time and is not injured or sick.” His sources say she’ll be out for six weeks.