Released WWE Star Returns To Raw For First Time In 2 Years
Let go by WWE in April 2020, this former champion was back on Raw last night.
The wrestler formerly known as Curtis Axel quietly returned to WWE Raw last night, appearing during Cody Rhodes' confrontation with Seth Rollins.
Axel (real name Joe Hennig) was utilised onscreen as part of a crew of WWE staff who got between Rollins and Rhodes in their latest segment, attempting to pull the duo apart ahead of their match at this Sunday's Hell In A Cell 2022 premium live event.
This was the first time Hennig had appeared on-camera for WWE since a February 2020 episode of SmackDown. Released by the promotion as part of its first round of swooping pandemic-related "budget cuts" that April, he returned for a trial as a producer for the 8 April 2022 SmackDown show, although there is currently no word on whether or not he has been brought on a full-time basis.
Despite this, Hennig has produced numerous matches for WWE's main television shows over the past few weeks.
A former Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, Hennig hasn't wrestled since falling to Daniel Bryan in that February 2020 SmackDown appearance. The 42-year-old had struggled greatly for television time in his final few months as an active competitor.