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It's that time of the year, where many of the members of the WWE roster are out injured following SummerSlam. Although, injury isn't the only reason that many of these wrestlers are on the sidelines since each star has their own reason for being off WWE TV.
WWE isn't utilizing much of their talent on the main roster at present, which could be why The Fashion Police and Killian Dain have returned to NXT whilst Alexander Wolfe is part of NXT UK now even though he was promoted to the main roster alongside the other members of Sanity last year.
The Wildcard Rule has allowed WWE to use many stars on SmackDown and Raw which has taken up several slots that could have been used for many mid-card Superstars who haven't been seen for a number of months.
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#10. Rusev and Lana
Rusev hasn't been seen on WWE TV since he was part of the 51-man Battle Royal at Super ShowDown back in June. Ahead of his appearance in the match, Rusev hadn't been seen since May 17th whilst his wife Lana's last appearance was as part of the Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35.
It has been reported by a number of reputable news outlets including Forbes that Rusev and Lana are on indefinite hiatus from WWE currently since the couple has made the decision not to re-sign their contracts with WWE when they expire in the coming months.
It has also been reported that WWE is keeping the couple off WWE TV for the foreseeable future because they don't want the duo to be considered "red hot" if they leave. This is because they would then be able to move on to another promotion and take advantage of the work that WWE has done with their characters.
#9. Luke Harper
Luke Harper is one of a number of WWE stars who have requested their WWE release recently and had it turned down. The former Intercontinental Champion hasn't wrestled for WWE since April when he was part of a dark match on SmackDown Live and could reportedly be set to sit out the rest of his WWE contract quietly.
Interestingly, there are currently a number of rumors regarding Luke Harper and the fact that he could have been the man behind Erick Rowan's recent actions against Roman Reigns. It was never revealed that Rowan was the man who attacked Reigns in the parking lot of Monday Night Raw, so Harper could be revealed as the second attacker.
Bray Wyatt recently looked to call Rowan back home, which means that a reunion of the original Wyatt Family could be on the horizon, even though Wyatt's new Fiend character seems to be one of the best parts of the show right now. Harper is no longer injured and could return to the ring whenever required, but it is unknown as to whether or not WWE has any future plans for the former Wyatt Family member of if they want him to remain sidelined until his contract expires.
#8. Lio Rush
Lio Rush hasn't been seen on WWE TV for a number of months, so much so that there were rumors back in April that The Man of the Hour had fallen out of favor with the company and could be looking at an NXT return.
Of course, this hasn't happened and Rush is still on hiatus from the company since his most recent update stated that he was enjoying his time off but still expected to return to WWE in the future.
Rush stated on the ESPN Cheat Heat Podcast that right now he was enjoying some time with his family whilst Bobby Lashley was out injured. He added that it was some much needed time away from the ring since at one point he was working a number of events weekly and doing 2-3 segments on Raw alongside Lashley.
It's easy to forget that Rush is just 24 years old, but he has two children and obviously right now he's taking advantage of the time at home but could return to the ring whenever WWE puts in the call and decides to end his hiatus.
#7. Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy was forced to relinquish his SmackDown Tag Team Championship following WrestleMania back in April after it was revealed that he was struggling with a knee injury. It was revealed at the time that Hardy would be expected to be out of action for around 6-9 months, which has left his brother Matt Hardy on the sidelines as well since the company currently has no plans for him.
Hardy successfully underwent surgery on his injured knee back in May and has since been rehabbing the injury ahead of a return to the ring, but at 42 years of age, the road back from injury is definitely much longer than it once was for the former World Champion.
If Hardy is forced to use the full nine months of his initial prognosis when the injury first occurred then it's likely that he will be looking at returning to WWE just in time for next years Royal Rumble. This is the best time to target a comeback since it is a fantastic place to make a return and pick up a feud heading into next year's WrestleMania.
#6. Alicia Fox
Alicia Fox is one of WWE's longest-tenured athletes at present but she hasn't been used on WWE TV over the past few months since the former Divas Champion has been involved in a number of controversial backstage incidents.
The first occurred some months ago when Fox allegedly turned up to a WWE live event intoxicated but was still allowed to wrestle when Vince McMahon found out it was Arn Anderson who shouldered the blame and was then fired from the company after almost two decades of service.
Fox made her return to WWE TV as part of the Raw Reunion a few weeks ago, but another incident reportedly took place as part of SummerSlam weekend last month when Fox was seen intoxicated once again but this time got into a heated argument with a fan.
Many members of the WWE Universe have commented on Fox's current status and it's believed that she is now heading to rehab. She may not be featured on WWE TV for a number of months as the company looks to help the veteran to straighten out her life outside of the ring.
#5. Nia Jax
Nia Jax has been a huge miss for the Women's Division on Monday Night Raw over the past few months, ever since WrestleMania when it was revealed that Jax had suffered a knee injury and now needed to undergo surgery.
At The Biggest Event of the Year, Jax and Tamina Snuka came up short in their quest to become Women's Tag Team Champions. Snuka has been taken off WWE TV whilst her Tag Team partner recovers from surgery.
Jax underwent surgery for anterior cruciate ligament tears on both of her knees at the beginning of May and is now expected to be sidelined for around nine months. The former Raw Women's Champion could now be targetting a return to the company in February next year, which would allow her to be part of the conversation for the Women's Championship match at next year's WrestleMania.
At present Jax is rehabbing her injury but was recently revealed to be one of the women who will be returning for the upcoming series of Total Divas, so fans of The Irresistible Force will be able to see her return to TV on October 2nd.
#4. Ruby Riott
There was a time when The Riott Squad was dominating the Women's Division on Monday Night Raw before WWE decided to split the group up by sending Liv Morgan over to SmackDown Live in the Superstar Shakeup.
Sarah Logan has since been working on Main Event in matches against Dana Brooke, whilst Ruby Riott hasn't been seen on WWE TV since April. This is because the former leader of The Riott Squad suffered a bilateral shoulder injury and was then forced to undergo surgery back in May.
It was later revealed that Riott has been sidelined from the ring indefinitely following the injury, which means that right now there is no timetable for her return.
Given the fact that the former NXT star hasn't been used well in the Women's Division over the past few years and that the Division is currently dominated by the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Alexa Bliss, it's hard to see where Riott would fit in when she does finally make her return. But, it's hoped that she will grace the ring once again in the near future since she was a unique talent.
#3. Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley lost his Last Man Standing match against Braun Strowman back at Extreme Rules and hasn't been seen on WWE TV since. The former ECW Champion suffered an elbow injury that forced him to undergo surgery, even though this hasn't been well documented by WWE.
Lashley last wrestled on Raw back on July 15th but hadn't been part of WWE Live Events since June, which was because of an undisclosed injury, this was later revealed by Fightful to be an elbow injury that Lashley underwent surgery for. The former Intercontinental Champion's predicted return is expected to be at the beginning of November and recent reports state that he's still on course to make his return on this date.
The 43-year-old is currently rehabbing his injury ahead of a return, but at this time it is unknown as to whether or not Lio Rush will be making his return alongside him. This is due to the fact that there were a few months before his injury where Lashley appeared alone and the company look to be attempting to distance The Almighty from his former manager at present.
#2. The Authors of Pain
The Authors of Pain are former NXT Tag Team Champions and were given a huge push when they were brought up to the main roster and given Drake Maverick as their manager. Despite being used consistently on Monday Night Raw, the duo were taken off TV back in January when Akam suffered a knee injury that required surgery.
Akam and Rezar returned to the ring back at Super ShowDown when they were part of the 51-man Battle Royal but neither man was able to win. Interestingly, despite Akam's return to the company, the focus has been on Drake Maverick over the past few months as his quest to win the 24/7 Championship has been one of the biggest parts of the show.
It is unknown why WWE has kept the duo off WWE TV in recent months, but right now both men are cleared to make their return whenever they are needed. So, the only reason the company are keeping them off TV is that they have nothing for them whilst their manager Drake Maverick is in the title picture.
#1. Finn Balor
Finn Balor has been missing from WWE TV ever since SummerSlam when he was defeated by The Fiend in his debut match. The former Universal Champion was reportedly prepared to take a hiatus so that he can marry his long-time girlfriend and the reason for his hiatus was said to have been because of an injury.
According to TalkSport, Balor requested two months away from WWE following SummerSlam after an underwhelming year in WWE despite being Intercontinental Champion. It was an underwhelming reign that came to an end at Extreme Rules when Shinsuke Nakamura dethroned Balor as part of the kickoff show ahead of the event.
The former NXT Champion recently made headlines when he married his Fox News Reporter girlfriend Vero Rodriguez last month and could now be looking to make his WWE return in November. There were many reports about Balor and his WWE status earlier this year since the company didn't use him very well as the Champion and the Irish star was reportedly not happy about the fact that he had been overlooked by the company at a number of pay-per-views.
