The Master and Ruler of the World hadn't been seen in a major American promotion since his horrific leg break at WCW's Sin pay-per-view in January 2001. In the interim he had done a few indy and international tours, working mostly squash matches. Still, the vice president of talent relations felt that he might be worth another look in. The jobber-destroying was scouted by Johnny Ace during an indy appearance in the summer. Sid then began privately telling friends that he was on his way back to the WWE. Only, he wasn't. Noticing how large and muscular the then-48-year-old was, Ace asked him if he would pass a wellness test to which Sid intimated that he would not. Thus, plans to bring Sid back were dropped. Still, Ace was apparently pushing very hard to bring him back at the time. Sid would return to WWE, to destroy Heath Slater, on the June 25, 2012 episode of Raw.
