WWE Rumors: SmackDown star's return date listed as June 2020

What's the story?

Lars Sullivan suffered a serious knee injury during his victory over Lucha House Party on WWE Raw in June 2019.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, WWE’s internal injury report notes that “The Freak” will be out until late June 2020, but he is expected to return sooner than that date.

In case you didn't know…

After initially being advertised as a new recruit to the main roster in November 2018, Lars Sullivan finally made his debut in April 2019 when he attacked Kurt Angle on the episode of Raw after WrestleMania 35.

The former NXT Superstar went on to target other veterans in the WWE locker room, including The Hardy Boyz and R-Truth, before getting involved in a month-long rivalry with Lucha House Party.

It appeared as though Sullivan was being built up as WWE’s next monstrous Superstar, but he has not appeared on television since defeating Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado in a 3-on-1 handicap match on the June 10 episode of Raw.

The heart of the matter

Speaking on Fightful Select, Sean Ross Sapp provided some backstage details on WWE’s injury report and the length of time that Lars Sullivan is expected to be out of in-ring action.

“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.”

Despite the information in the internal report, Sapp added that WWE is hopeful that his recovery will only take six to nine months.

What's next?

Lars Sullivan ambitiously stated shortly before his injury that he wanted to become WWE champion within the next 18 months. Only time will tell if that happens, but it is safe to assume that “The Freak” will be involved in meaningful storylines again on Raw and/or SmackDown Live upon his return.