Five absent WWE stars who need big comeback storylines | Opinion
WWE’s uncertain atmosphere amid recent talent releases and prominent absences has led to questions on their wrestling future.
WrestleMania 42 took place nearly a month ago and Backlash has already come and gone. Still, many talents have still not resurfaced on WWE TV.
Here’s a few noticeably absent WWE stars whose returns must outshine their last matches and appearances on TV.
Randy Orton
He was heavily anticipated to defeat Cody Rhodes and win his 15th WWE World title at WrestleMania 42. Despite Pat McAfee’s involvement, that didn’t happen. Since then, Orton has not made any televised or public appearances, raising the question on what’s next for the WWE veteran.
Prior to WrestleMania, Dave Meltzer had reported that Orton was hurting, dealing with undisclosed physical health issues. McAfee’s involvement was to also set up a tag team match with Orton against Rhodes and Jelly Roll at Backlash that never came to be.
There is no update or confirmation on Orton’s return timeline, but whenever it does happen, WWE needs to ensure he accomplishes his long-term goal of a World title.
Drew McIntyre
Jacob Fatu has already moved on from Drew McIntyre after their WrestleMania collision to focusing on the bigger picture and Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight title.
Reports indicate that McIntyre’s WWE TV absence is to wrap up filming Highlander, a reboot of the1986 movie, also featuring Henry Cavill.
McIntyre could continue his callous attitude, unfazed by WWE authority on his return. Pitting him against Rhodes for the WWE Championship again would be monotonous as he needs to assert territorial dominance and could ideally challenge relatively new talent on the SmackDown roster like Trick Williams or another heavy hitter like Ilja Dragunov.
LA Knight
Knight has had a complex WWE run over the past couple of years.
He competed in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania. Prior to the event, he addressed a bursa flare up that was keeping him away from in-ring action of any kind. While this might explain his ongoing absence, there is always going to be concerns about his WWE future given the current environment.
Knight’s return to WWE should be fueled to win the World Heavyweight Title or Money in the Bank which didn’t happen last year. Either way, he needs a defining run to remind fans and WWE management why he is one of the company’s most organically popular stars today.
Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
The tag team squared off against Judgment Day on the Raw after Mania but have not made any appearances since.
Bayley’s unfortunate luck in capturing the Women’s Tag Team Titles has been looming since WrestleMania last year, but her partnership with Valkyria still has much potential.
WWE must ensure their alliance is intact while also keeping both women relevant in the women’s division. This would help their positioning as a babyface tag team and possibly develop Valkyria as a singles competitor under Bayley’s mentorship.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.