5 injured WWE stars who will not return this year

Injuries are an unfortunate part of WWE, putting some fan favorites out for long spells. While some stars have managed to endure the long road to recovery and return recently, such as Ilja Dragunov, Bronson Reed, and Tama Tonga, others are looking at lengthy spells out and might not make it back by the end of the year.

In this listicle, we'll take a look at stars who are not expected to be back before the end of the year. We've not included Gunther, Rey Mysterio, and Jacob Fatu since there is a chance all three will be back in the next couple of months.

5. Liv Morgan

Liv Morgan sustained a nasty shoulder injury during her singles match with Kairi Sane in June and had to undergo surgery to fix the issue. She is currently recovering and is not expected to return to the company anytime soon.

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In all likelihood, she could make her return at the 2026 Royal Rumble and go on to win the women's battle royale.

4. Kevin Owens

Right before WrestleMania 41, Kevin Owens emotionally announced that he would have to undergo surgery to fix a serious neck injury. The former Universal Champion was expected to face Randy Orton at the Show of Shows, but had to pull out of the bout, with Joe Hendry replacing him.

Owens could not confirm that he would return to the ring in the future, and it seems unlikely that he will make a comeback this year by the looks of things.

3. Piper Niven

Piper Niven's situation has been a similar cause for concern, with rumors of her injury being career-ending. The Secret Hervice member is also dealing with a major neck injury, and reports suggest that the company is taking a measured approach and is looking for ways to achieve a safe recovery, although the nature of the injury is quite complicated.

As a result, Piper Niven is sure to be out for a long time and won't return to WWE this year.

2. Zoey Stark

Stark injured her knee during a match on WWE RAW in May this year, after landing awkwardly during a missile dropkick. The spot looked gruesome to say the least, and had fans worried as she could not continue the match.

She suffered tears to her ACL, MCL, and meniscus, and had to undergo surgery for the same. An ACL injury usually requires at least a year to recover, and a return in 2025 seems out of the question for Zoey Stark.

1. Seth Rollins

The Visionary reportedly suffered a shoulder injury at WWE Crown Jewel during his match against Cody Rhodes. Although he went on to defeat Rhodes, he was written off programming after getting betrayed by Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker of The Vision.

Rollins has since been stripped of his World Heavyweight Championship, meaning he will be out for a significant amount of time. Although there is no confirmed timeline for his return, it seems unlikely that we will see Rollins back before the end of the year, with rumors of his status for WWE WrestleMania 42 being up in the air.

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Edited by Arsh Das