18 Injured WWE Stars (And When They're Set To Return)
When will we see Owens, Triple H & co. competing again?
A bloated injury reserve is inevitable in a company like WWE, whose talent pool is so deep it makes the Mariana Trench look like a puddle of rainwater.
No matter what time of year it is, a glance at the list will reveal at least a dozen men and women sidelined for a variety of reasons, caused by some factors the company can control (the gruelling WWE schedule) to others they cannot (wrestling's inherent danger, bad luck). The number currently sits at 18. That sounds like a lot, and it is, but this company employs more than 300 different wrestlers. It isn't as shocking a figure when put into perspective.
A few exclusions before we consider WWE's wounded warriors. First, the injured knee angle Becky Lynch is currently working is entirely kayfabe, with 'The Man' so dedicated to the storyline that she's even wearing a knee brace when out in public. Then there's Paige, who technically qualifies as an "injured WWE star," but won't be pulling a Daniel Bryan-esque U-turn on her retirement anytime soon. She's out of the game.
The afflictions within vary in severity, and the wrestlers range from Performance Center recruits to money-drawing main eventers. Let's run through them...
18. Lars Sullivan
This one isn't technically an injury, but it's a very severe situation, and one of the most troubling and worrying on our entire list.
Sullivan reportedly suffered an anxiety attack before his planned Raw debut last month. He has since gone off the grid, with minimal updates outside of his employers' apparent unflinching support during his battle with mental health issues. Unfortunately, though, nobody knows when he'll be back.
The individual (known only as "WC") who runs Lars' Twitter account posted the following on 28 January:-
"There has been a lot of speculation about Lars recently. It’s true, he went missing several weeks ago and I was just able to contact him this morning. Lars wants everyone to know he is in a good place, and is sorry to everyone he’s disappointed. Best, WC."
Sullivan's account has since been set to private.
Let's hope that wherever he is, he's getting better.
Expected return: Nobody knows.