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WWE has been able to make the best of a bad situation since March because the lockdown has meant that the company has been forced to remain in one location. WWE Superstars have also been given the option of taking some time off if they want it because of the unpredictable circumstances at present.
The recent COVID-19 outbreak at the Performance Center has meant that there are a number of stars who have been forced to quarantine for the next week. There are others who have chosen to take some time away to spend with their family since many have worked throughout the pandemic.
At present, there are many WWE stars who are missing from TV, and here are the reasons why these 23 stars have been absent.
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#23-21. The Forgotten Sons have been away from WWE TV since May
The Forgotten Sons last performed on WWE TV as part of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view back in May. It was following the event that Jaxon Ryker posted a controversial Tweet supporting President Donald Trump which led to backlash from his colleagues as well as the WWE Universe.
WWE made the decision to take The Forgotten Sons off WWE TV after this and the three stars have since been waiting for the opportunity to make their return. The most recent rumors surrounding the situation are that The Forgotten Sons are expected to return imminently, but without Jaxon Ryker.
This would mean that Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler would be working as a duo instead of the trio that the Forgotten Sons have always been seen as.
#20/19. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler missed Clash of Champions
It was revealed back at Clash of Champions that the Women's Tag Team Championships couldn't be defended because Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler couldn't be cleared to compete.
This meant that The Riott Squad lost their chance at the Championships. But, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott are expected to be given their chance when The Women's Tag Team Champions make their return.
According to The Wrestling Observer, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 which means that they need to begin their two weeks of quarantine. This week's episode of RAW should be the last episode that the two stars miss since their quarantine began ahead of Clash of Champions.
#18. Ember Moon has been absent from WWE TV since 2019
Ember Moon has been missing from WWE TV for almost a year after suffering a torn Achilles whilst chasing after the 24/7 Championship in the fall of 2019. Moon has given several updates regarding her return over the past year but has obviously struggled to undergo physical therapy alongside the pandemic.
Moon gave an update on her WWE return to ComicBook.com back in July where she revealed that her injury was much worse than a normal Achilles tear.
"It's been an up and downhill for me. A lot of people don't know this - they think I just have a very generic Achilles rupture, but I don't. "What actually happened is that [my Achilles tendon] got split in half and then it also got torn off the bone. So I actually ruptured my Achilles in two places, and the surgeon thinks that I may have been wrestling on it for probably about two months already torn to some extent, and I just didn't feel the pain because I have kind of a high pain tolerance."
Moon went on to note that she's had a rough 2020 and the former NXT Women's Champion isn't expected to make her return to the ring until some time in 2021.
#17. Nikki Cross missed Clash of Champions
It was revealed back at Clash of Champions that Nikki Cross wouldn't be able to challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship in their scheduled match. Charly Caruso stated that this was because Cross wasn't medically cleared to compete on WWE TV, but an update from The Wrestling Observer stated that Cross was one of the women who was exposed to COVID-19 by someone who tested positive.
Cross isn't expected to be part of this week's episode of SmackDown, but depending on when she began her quarantine, the former Champion could return to WWE TV in time for next week's show.
#16/15. The Viking Raiders have been missing from WWE TV since September 7th
The Viking Raiders were pushing towards the RAW Tag Team Champions on WWE TV a few weeks ago until Ivar suffered a freak injury when he executed a dive out of the ring.
WWE later revealed that Ivar had suffered a neck injury and would require surgery, and the star himself recently updated the WWE Universe following his procedure. At present, there is no timeline for his return and it's believed that Erik is being kept away from WWE TV so that the two men can make their return together in the coming months.
#14. Angel Garza suffered an injury at Clash of Champions
Angel Garza was part of the RAW Tag Team Championship match back at Clash of Champions before the match came to an interesting end when it appeared that the referee needed medical help for Garza.
Andrade was pinned despite kicking out since Garza was down on the outside with what looked like a knee injury. It was later revealed by PWInsider that Garza actually suffered a hip injury and it's not as bad as initially feared, which means that the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion may not be on the sidelines for long.
#13. Kofi Kingston left SmackDown back in July
Kofi Kingston left WWE SmackDown at the end of July after giving Big E his blessing to move forward as a singles star. It was noted in the storyline that Kingston had been injured when he was thrown through two tables by Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura back at Payback.
It was later revealed that Kofi Kingston's injury was a storyline so that the former WWE Champion could have some time away from the company to be with his family. Kingston has been missing for around eight weeks and could be set to make his return in the near future.
#12. Bo Dallas has been away from WWE since 2019
Bo Dallas hasn't been seen on WWE TV since early 2019 when he was still part of The B Team alongside Curtis Axel. His partner was released back in April as part of the budget cuts ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Dallas remained with the company even though he hasn't been used.
Fightful recently reported that Dallas has been away from WWE TV since November 2019 and it's thought that he requested the time away. At present, Dallas is the subject of online speculation that suggests that he could be the mystery former NXT Champion set to make their return to the brand.
#11. Xavier Woods suffered an injury back in October 2019
Xavier Woods has been missing from WWE TV for almost a year after suffering an Achilles injury whilst performing at a live event back in 2019. The former Tag Team Champion was expected to be out of action for about six months to a year but recently gave his own update.
“I will say I’m feeling alright and that’s all I will say. I was really really in a bad way mentally for like six weeks after the initial injury happened, I was depressed. It all came from the fear of not knowing if I would ever wrestle again. I was able to work through that with some really good friends like Kofi, E, Tyler Breeze and Rick Victor. I’m much better now, but no spoilers on a return date."
Woods didn't give away any indication of a return date but did note that he's feeling better now both mentally and physically and could be set for a return in the near future.
#10. Charlotte Flair has been missing from WWE TV since June
Charlotte Flair won the 2020 Royal Rumble and was successful in winning the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania, but the former Champion was attacked by Nia Jax back in June.
This attack sidelined Charlotte Flair for several months since it was reported by TalkSPORT that Flair wanted an extended break from WWE to undergo her surgical procedure and to have a rest.
It is believed that Charlotte Flair could be set to make her return to WWE in 2021, just in time for The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season.
#9. Daniel Bryan
It's been almost four months since the WWE Universe last saw Daniel Bryan, as the former WWE Champion last wrestled back in June. According to The Wrestling Observer, Bryan's absence coincided with the final month of Brie Bella's pregnancy and it allowed the couple to remain safe ahead of Buddy's birth.
Buddy is now almost two months old, but there is no update on when Bryan would want to leave his family and make his return. The Amway Center has seen the return of Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn in recent months so it's thought to be safe for the former Champion to make his return ahead of the upcoming WWE Draft.
#8. Elias was last seen on WWE TV in June
Elias was taken out of action as part of the hit and run outside of The Performance Center back in June. The former Intercontinental Champion was part of the feud between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus, and they had to write him off WWE TV because he suffered a pectoral tear.
At the time that Elias was sidelined, he was given 6-9 months as a recovery time which means that the star could make his return in time for The Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania 37.
#7. Jinder Mahal hasn't been seen on WWE TV since April
Jinder Mahal returned to WWE TV after a lengthy injury layoff back in April. Mahal had already undergone knee surgery and was believed to be over the worst before he later updated on his Instagram that he was forced to undergo surgery once again.
The former WWE Champion's injury was reportedly only believed to be minor but this became more serious and surgery was then needed once again. Mahal is currently rehabbing following his surgery back in April but at present, there is no timeline for his return.
#6. Lars Sullivan hasn't been seen since the summer of 2019
Lars Sullivan has had a number of setbacks throughout his main roster career so far, the biggest coming when he suffered a knee injury in a match against The Lucha House Party back in June 2019.
Sullivan has been sidelined since and a number of controversial personal issues have obviously pushed back his return date. Initially The Freak was expected to make his return in June, but he has been missing from TV for 16 months.
The former NXT star has updated workout videos on his Instagram page that show that he could be looking to make his return and could be a name that is included in the upcoming WWE draft.
#5-1. RETRIBUTION missed Clash of Champions
RETRIBUTION were only unmasked on WWE TV a week ago and already the five stars have been sidelined for at least two weeks. The team who were named, T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, Reckoning, and Retaliation last week were forced to miss both Clash of Champions and this week's episode of Monday Night RAW.
It was reported that much like Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler, and Nikki Cross who were also forced to miss Clash of Champion, RETRIBUTION are currently in quarantine.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet made it clear that all five members had tested negative for the virus but had been forced to quarantine for two weeks since it was confirmed that they had been in contact with someone who had tested positive.
The group was originally part of a storyline with The Hurt Business and was expected to interfere in their match at Clash of Champions, but their quarantine forced WWE to change their plans.
Since their quarantine began ahead of this week's episode of RAW, the group could make their WWE return in just over a week's time.
