In the past few months, WWE has suffered losses in terms of ratings. Vince McMahon also believes that a major reason behind this is their Superstars getting injured (or ill). Last year, Roman Reigns took a break from wrestling due to leukemia and it was expected that he wouldn’t return until the next few years. Fortunately, the doctors cleared him to wrestle earlier this year and now, he is back.
But the same can’t be said for other Superstars, who are either injured or have issues with WWE. Some of these wrestlers are likely to return soon, while others may not return until the next year. Here are 3 WWE Superstars who could return in 2019 and 2 that will not return until 2020.
#5 Ronda Rousey (Could return in 2019)
Ronda Rousey debuted at the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view and quickly became the face of the women’s division. She won the Raw Women’s Championship by defeating Alexa Bliss and carried it until WrestleMania 35, where she defended her title against Becky Lynch and Charlotte.
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The Man was the favorite to win this match and it happened when she pinned Rousey at The Grandest Stage of Them All. However, during the bout, Ronda Rousey got injured and it has kept her away from the wrestling ring. It was expected that she wouldn’t return until 2020 but now, reports suggest that she may return later this year.
“A lot has changed with Raw since WrestleMania. Banks is MIA so Becky’s leading there but Heyman coming back is a big deal. He likes working with Rousey and she likes working with him.”
“If she does come back to Raw, it might not take until October either. She wants to work with Heyman now. She wanted to the whole time.”
#4 Mickie James (Won't return until 2020)
A few weeks ago, Mickie James posted a tweet where she thanked her fans and also indicated that she may not return to the wrestling ring again.
“Thank you all for your love, prayers, and well wishes. I am grateful! I’ll be just fine... if I come back... I’m coming back bionic!”
The fact that she wrote ‘if I come back’ should not be ignored as it’s a clear hint of her WWE career being in danger. However, a recent report from Fightful Select revealed that WWE doctors have said that James could return to the ring again but it won’t happen until April 2020.
Since WrestleMania is going to happen in the same month, it would be interesting to see if WWE would add Mickie James to the show or they would let her sit for a few weeks and then return, with a fresh storyline.
#3 Sasha Banks (Could return in 2019)
The Sasha Banks situation is taking twists and turns almost every week. At first, it was rumored that Banks doesn't want to return to WWE again but her release request was rejected by the company. Then WWE pulled her off from their European tour after which, PWInsider reported that she was scheduled to shoot promotional stuff for WWE 2K games.
Now it’s been more than 3 months since we saw Banks in WWE and here’s what a recent rumor said about her return.
“A few people asked for time off after WrestleMania. Sasha Banks has worked extremely long and extremely hard. She’s earned it.”
“They’ve gone with Bayley and she’s doing well. When Sasha comes back she’ll slot right back in.”
It’s worthwhile to note that the former Women’s Tag Team Champion isn’t injured, which means that she could return at any given moment. And the fact that she is still in WWE despite the conflict proves that Vince McMahon doesn’t want her to leave the company. And it’s why he could bring her back to the ring as soon as possible.
#2 Lars Sullivan (Won't return until 2020)
Lars Sullivan’s main roster run isn’t something he would be proud of. First of all, he didn’t debut on Raw or SmackDown Live until after WrestleMania because he was suffering from mental illness which included anxiety attacks. He finally made his appearance on Raw when Kurt Angle was addressing the crowd after his loss to Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35.
The Freak didn’t care that Angle was retired and he still laid hands on him. Later, WWE involved him in a feud with The Lucha House Party and now, he is suffering from a knee injury. Reports had earlier suggested that the injury is worse than first expected but latest reports tell a different story.
“Lars Sullivan was listed on WWE’s internal injury report as being out until late June 2020. Considering his experience with knee surgery in the past, he is not actually expected to be out that long.”
While things may turn out to be better than originally expected for Sullivan, he still isn't likely to be seen near a WWE ring until next year.
#1 Luke Harper (Could return in 2019)
Luke Harper injured his hand last year and it kept him away from the ring for a few months. The doctors cleared him earlier this year and he finally made his in-ring return during Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35.
However, reports suggest that Vince McMahon wasn’t so pleased with Harper’s performance in the match and he decided not to use him in any of the storylines. Then, Harper asked for his release from WWE, which was immediately rejected by them.
Since then, we haven't heard more about this situation but a recent report from PWInsider revealed that Harper could be returning the WWE ring soon as he has already started traveling on the road.
“Former WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champion Luke Harper is on the road this week for WWE, the first time he has been on the road for the company since this past Spring.”