15 Injured WWE Stars (And When They're Set To Return)
When will we see Ambrose, Zayn, and Big Show again?
At any given time, WWE's inactive list reads like an airport novella, with hordes of Raw, SmackDown, and NXT stars rendered unable to compete for varying reasons.
Maternity leave (Maria Kanellis, Maryse), contract disputes (Neville), and part-time agreements (John Cena, The Undertaker), explain a handful of absences, but most are injury-related. Though WWE's risk-averse in-ring style shields performers to a certain degree, the gruelling road schedule, ageing roster, and the hyper-athletic pursuit of star ratings often negate this, ensuring that the treatment table is always crowded and the company's doctors are never short of work.
Vince McMahon & co. are likely doing all they can to mitigate the problem. To their credit, they are extremely cautious when bringing injured performers back, and a double digit injury list is almost inevitable in a talent pool this huge. Regardless, it's still a lot lengthier than most would like, and it currently houses a number of major stars, many of whom have already been missing for months.
A total of 15 full-time TV performers currently find themselves on the show. Who are they, and when can we expect their returns? Let's take a look...
15. Tamina
Having appeared only sporadically since joining SmackDown in the 2016 draft, Tamina tore her rotator cuff prior to the Royal Rumble. She competed in the bout, lasting a total of 94 seconds before Lita threw her out, but underwent surgery soon after.
Tamina remains active on social media, but her use of a #SeeYouSoon hashtag in response to WWE's recent Evolution PPV is the closest thing we've had to an update in months. As things stand, and if the initial 7-9 month recovery estimation holds true, she should be back by winter.
Expected return: Sometime between September and November.