WWE News: Former Multiple Time Champion And Member Of Team Angle Still Planning On WWE Return
When WWE decided to split the company in two during the summer and make Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE their own brands, many old faces were brought back. Rhyno was one of the most noticeable names and the Headbangers have even come back now and then. Another big-time star and former multiple time champion from the past was set to return but an injury set him back. Still, he’s not giving up and Shelton Benjamin vows to make a WWE comeback.
During the summer, WWE had made the decision to have a supplemental draft and brand extension which split the roster in two. As this was happening, some stars from the past made their returns and landed on Monday or Tuesday nights.
Some have been quite successful as a few months later, Rhyno won the SmackDown Tag Team Titles and they’ve held them since September.
At that time, WWE officially announced the return of another superstar who had been away from the company for many years, and that was Shelton Benjamin. The official website of WWE said that he had signed with SmackDown LIVE as a free agent and would make his debut “soon” with the brand.
Benjamin had a great career in WWE as a member of Team Angle with Kurt Angle and Charlie Haas, but also did well when away from them. He held the Intercontinental Title three times, the WWE Tag Team Titles twice, and the United States Title twice so he would have been a welcome addition to the roster.
Well, here it is now four-and-a-half months later and Benjamin has yet to make his WWE return and appear on SmackDown LIVE as part of their roster. The “Gold Standard” suffered an injury that took him out of contention for his return, but he’s not yet giving up on it.
For the record. I will make moves to return to @WWE when I am back to 110% physically. Anywhere from 4 to 6 months by my doc calculation.
— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) November 22, 2016
As Shelton Benjamin was taking his physical and health examinations for his WWE return, it was revealed that he had a torn rotator cuff. Making matters worse is that it was revealed that he would need surgery to correct the problem and that was going to put him on the shelf for at least the rest of the year.
His tweet now shows that he is still close to half a year away from returning, but he’s not giving up on the WWE comeback.
Wrestling Inc. reported of Benjamin being on an episode of The Ross Report back in August when his injury was first unveiled. Benjamin said that while a full tear of his rotator cuff was serious enough, that wasn’t the only problem. Doctors also found several other minor tears that he had actually been wrestling with for 2.5 months.
During a match for Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, he took a “unique suplex” which saw him land wrong and he instantly knew the injury was there.
Once the injury was found out, Shelton Benjamin’s return was obviously shelved and put on hold, but will it ever actually happen? He’s not giving up and hoping that the company doesn’t give up on him when he is fully healed.
Shelton Benjamin was one of the most exciting superstars for years in WWE and he did very well during his run. He won multiple titles and was a key part of the successful faction known as Team Angle, but he’s been gone for more than six years. For the draft, WWE wanted to bring him back to SmackDown LIVE and had plans on it, but the injury really set him back. It appears he still has a plan of getting better, healing up, and making his long-awaited return.
[Featured Image by WWE]
