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WWE Superstars are expected to perform all year round and are on the road for much of their career. Like any other job, wrestlers often ask for time off if they are not being used on WWE TV at the time, which then leads to a lengthy hiatus.
At present, several WWE stars are considered long-term absentees but have a good reason for their absence. Lacey Evans is expecting her second child, whilst Paige has retired from in-ring competition and has since been working on a number of other off-screen projects with WWE.
Many other current WWE Superstars have been on hiatus from WWE for a number of weeks, and the following article looks at when these stars could potentially make their return.
#5. Former RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch hasn't appeared on WWE TV since May 2020
Becky Lynch was considered to be one of the biggest stars in the company when she announced she was expecting her first child on Monday Night RAW in May 2020. Lynch made the announcement on a pre-recorded episode of the show after rumors surfaced on-line that she was expecting her first child with fellow WWE star Seth Rollins.
Lynch was forced to relinquish her RAW Women's Championship before heading off on maternity leave. The Man announced the arrival of her daughter, Roux, back in December and has since been seen working out ahead of her return to the ring.
The former Champion has since teased her return on several occasions like the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and even at the recent Money in the Bank event. Of course, Lynch was just trolling the WWE Universe with these teases and is still yet to make her return.
It's rumored that Lynch's return could be being saved by the company for SummerSlam since there are reportedly plans to make this year's event much bigger than WrestleMania.
The WWE Universe attempted to hijack the RAW Women's Championship match at Money in the Bank with "We want Becky!" chants to show that they are prepared for the return of the star.
In recent images and updates shared on Instagram, Becky Lynch has shown that she is in fantastic shape and it's easy to see her making her return in just three weeks at the biggest party of the summer - SummerSlam.
#4. Former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt hasn't been seen since April
Bray Wyatt has been part of an interesting storyline surrounding The Fiend over the past few years on WWE TV. The former WWE Champion went on to win The Universal Championship last year before going on hiatus in the fall.
The Fiend lost the first-ever Firefly Inferno match at TLC when he was set alight by Randy Orton. This kept The Fiend off WWE TV for several months before he returned ahead of WrestleMania and was then expected to exact some revenge on The Viper.
Instead, Bray Wyatt's alter-ego lost his match at The Biggest Show of the year and then appeared to be moving forward with a new angle from The Firefly Fun House.
That wasn't the case and April was the last time The Fiend was seen on WWE TV. There have been reports suggesting that Wyatt has had some personal issues in recent months but there is a rumored return date for the star.
The most recent update from PWInsider regarding Wyatt is that there is "no timetable" regarding a return:
"For those who have asked about Bray Wyatt, who has not performed since Wrestlemania 36, PWInsider.com is told there is still no timetable for his return to active duty for the company. WWE sources have remained quiet about Wyatt's circumstances beyond the idea that he's being held off for a specific reason. The belief among some is that it's not a creative issue."
The former WWE Champion is being advertised locally for the August 9 episode of Monday Night Raw at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, but as always, the card is subject to change.
#3. Former WWE Women's Champion Sasha Banks hasn't appeared since April
Sasha Banks main evented this year's WrestleMania alongside Bianca Belair when the two women battled it out for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship. Banks made history as the youngest woman to main event the biggest show of the year. But following her loss, The Boss has been missing from WWE TV for more than three months.
Banks appeared on the episode of SmackDown following WrestleMania back in April where she made it clear that she was speechless following her Women's Championship loss. Bianca Belair also moved forward when she began a feud with Banks' former friend Bayley.
Outside the ring, Banks has been busy since she recently attended The ESPYS and won the award for "Best WWE Moment" alongside Belair for their match at WrestleMania.
Since Bayley's recent injury, there have been rumors that The Boss is set to make her WWE return in the near future and is expected to be part of the build-up to the SmackDown Women's Championship match at SummerSlam.
#2. Mia Yim hasn't appeared on WWE TV since February
Mia Yim was seen as one of the most entertaining women in the company during her time in NXT, before being promoted to WWE's main roster.
Yim was repackaged as Reckoning and made her debut on the main roster as the only female member of RETRIBUTION. The group was short-lived and went their separate ways at Fastlane back in February when the group turned on their leader Mustafa Ali.
Whilst the split allowed T-Bar and Mace to step into a short storyline on Monday Night RAW, Slapjack and Reckoning have been notable absentees. The most recent update regarding Yim's WWE status is that she has been quietly moved over to SmackDown.
A few weeks ago, Yim was rumored to be set to make her debut on the blue brand, but this was scrapped at the last minute. As of writing, it appears that Yim's absence is a creative decision and she could potentially make her return to WWE TV as soon as this week's episode of SmackDown.
#1. Former 14-time WWE Champion Randy Orton has been missing for several weeks
Randy Orton was recently part of a storyline alongside Riddle on WWE TV, but after he failed to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match last month, Orton has been a notable absentee.
In the weeks that have followed, Riddle has tried to help Orton qualify for the match as well as failing to win a contract at the event itself last weekend. The former UFC star has been trying to continue their storyline alone, but WWE appears to be running out of ideas. Riddle has been vocal about the fact that he wants his former teammate back, but as of yet Orton has not returned to RAW.
The most recent updates regarding The Viper are that he has been moved over to the disabled/inactive list internally in WWE but the company is hopeful that he will be back for the August 2nd episode of RAW.
With SummerSlam right around the corner, WWE will want the former 14-time World Champion to be on-hand in order to play a huge part in the show.
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