Will These Five WWE Superstars Return Before SummerSlam 2026?
WWE superstars get written off TV, whether that’s to give the wrestler time off, recover from an injury, or WWE officials are trying to figure out what to do with their character next. Through the first six months of 2026, some major stars have been left off Monday Night Raw or Friday Night SmackDown for one of the reasons mentioned, yet some have been gone longer than others. As SummerSlam approaches, questions are arising whether some of these stars will make it back in time for the second biggest show of the year for WWE. Here are five WWE superstars who should make a return before the “Biggest Party of the Summer”. Names such as Kevin Owens, Bianca Belair, or Naomi will not be included due to their injuries and or pregnancies.
Randy Orton
The 14-time World Champion Randy Orton won the men’s Elimination Chamber match this year to have the opportunity to face WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 42. While many signs pointed to ‘The Viper’ winning his 15th World Championship, ‘The American Nightmare’ retained his WWE Championship, and since then, we haven’t seen Orton. It has been reported that ‘The Apex Predator’ is on a summer hiatus following WrestleMania and is recovering from flare-ups from his previous back injuries. While it doesn’t have to be for the WWE Championship just yet, hopefully Orton can return right before SummerSlam and have a quick program with another superstar before turning his attention to capturing his 15th World Championship.
Stephanie Vaquer
‘La Primera’ Stephanie Vaquer lost the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania 42 to Liv Morgan. Following her loss, she was written off TV due to a legitimate shoulder injury, a second-degree AC sprain. There is hope she will return for SummerSlam, which is great to hear. Most likely feuding with Morgan again, since many have criticized WWE for not utilizing the three-time Women’s World Champion properly. Many questions arose when Morgan entered the 2026 Queen of the Ring Tournament, seemingly WWE calling an audible while Vaquer heals. The WWE Universe hopes to see ‘La Primera’ back in action just in time for SummerSlam.
Joe Hendry
After making his main roster debut, Joe Hendry started a feud with Logan Paul after the former NXT Champion sang a song to the crowd about how WWE should fire Paul. Just a few weeks into the feud, ‘The Maverick’ tore his tricep, now out for several months. So, WWE decided to write Hendry out with Austin Theory attacking him backstage. The biggest question is how WWE incorporates the former NXT Champion back into the show and into a storyline that makes sense after his attack by Theory. Will WWE have him back before SummerSlam? That remains unseen.
Ilja Dragunov
We have not seen ‘The Mad Russian’ Ilja Dragunov since the 2026 Andre the Giant Battle Memorial; it has been long overdue since seeing him last. After losing the United States Championship to Carmelo Hayes back in December, WWE hasn’t done much storywise with Dragunov. At first, ‘The Mad Russian’ didn’t feel worthy enough for a rematch, and then weeks later, he finally did but lost again to Hayes. It’s been nearly two months since seeing Dragunov on TV, with reports of him actively training at the WWE Performance Center and Nattie Neidhart's Dungeon in Florida, with WWE waiting for the right storyline to reintroduce him to the ring. Does WWE have something in store for ‘The Mad Russian’ right before SummerSlam comes around?
AJ Lee
At WrestleMania 42, AJ Lee lost the Women’s Intercontinental Championship to Becky Lynch. Since losing her first title in over a decade, it’s been reported that the three-time Divas Champion is taking time off. WWE currently has no storyline for her, and it’s undetermined when she’ll make her return. Will she work with her husband, CM Punk, again, or will she be feuding for another Women’s Championship? Will she return before SummerSlam?
