WWE's roster is currently the biggest it has ever been which means that the company is able to withstand a few injuries every now and then. WWE superstars are on the road for more than 300 days a year and at some point, many of them feel the full force of life at that level.
Even some of the companies biggest stars like Roman Reigns, John Cena and Seth Rollins have been forced onto the sidelines in recent years because of injury, which shows that injuries can happen to anyone and sometimes they happen at the worst possible time.
Injuries aren't the only thing that keeps members of WWE's roster off screen, sometimes there is a storyline reason for the superstar to be away from WWE and because of this, they will remain on the sidelines until the story that they are part of makes it to air.
Dean Ambrose proved a few weeks ago that sometimes injuries can strike at the worst time but then he was able to pick up exactly where he left off when he returned to the company to partner Seth Rollins and step into the biggest storyline on Monday Night Raw at present. Sadly, this isn't the way it works for every superstar who is struggling with injury, but it is enough to motivate them to get fit once again.
The following list looks at just 20 WWE superstars from all three rosters who have been absent from WWE TV over the past few weeks and when they are expected to make their on-screen return. This could be because of injury, contract negotiations or even just because they have been given some time off.
20 Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn has been missing from WWE TV since Money in the Bank where he was defeated by Bobby Lashley. It was revealed by WWE.com a few months ago that Zayn had sustained two torn rotator cuffs and would need surgery.
It is believed that Zayn has now undergone surgery on both of his shoulders and is now looking at a long road to recovery.
The standard medical timeline for the return after rotator cuff injuries is 4-6 months which means that Zayn is expected to be back on WWE TV in February 2019, which isn't a moment too soon.
19 Samir Singh
Fans of The Modern Day Maharaja Jinder Mahal will have noticed that he has been performing with just one Singh Brother ever since January when Samir was injured as part of a ringside brawl with Bobby Roode.
Samir actually has a torn ACL and has been sidelined for seven months now but the former Bollywood Boy updated the WWE Universe on his status on Twitter recently and it appears that he has definitely been putting the hours in at the gym over the past few months and is seemingly set to return to WWE in the coming weeks since he himself stated that all of his results have been positive.
18 Tamina Snuka
Tamina Snuka was last seen as part of the Women's Royal Rumble match back in January and has sadly missed out on a number of historic moments for the Women's Division over the past few months after it was reported that the daughter of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was struggling with a torn rotator cuff.
Tamina underwent surgery back in February and has been sidelined for around seven months and has posted a number of positive updates about her road to recovery which has led many fans to believe that Tamina Snuka could be one of the women who are set to make their return in time for Evolution.
17 Jason Jordan
Jason Jordan was sent home from Raw back in February by General Manager Kurt Angle and hasn't been seen on WWE TV since. The former Tag Team Champion was written off WWE TV so that he could have minor neck surgery and it was believed that he would have returned sooner but there have been a number of complications in his recovery.
Recent reports claimed that Jordan is spending his time on the sidelines learning how to become a backstage producer. However, it's been reported that as soon as the teaming of Chad Gable and Bobby Roode has run its course, Jordan will be making his return to team with Gable and reunite with his former tag partner.
16 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar's last WWE appearance came back at SummerSlam when he lost his Universal Championship to Roman Reigns, and even though Paul Heyman was on the following episode of Raw and begged for the chance for Lesnar to regain his title at Hell in a Cell, this request was turned down.
So Brock interfered in the match and brought himself back to relevance on WWE television.
The plan is for Lesnar to wrestle one more match for WWE, at the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. Knowing WWE and Lesnar, we may only see Lesnar appear at that event, then disappear from television again until WrestleMania season.
15 Fandango
Fandango has been stuck in the mid-card of WWE programming over the past few years after his union with Tyler Breeze has failed to land him the success that he deserves. The Fashion Police have been mostly used as jobbers lately, which is why many fans were unaware that Fandango was even injured.
Fandango took to Twitter back in July to confirm that he would be sidelined for around 6 months after sustaining a Labrum tear in his left shoulder. The former NXT star has already undergone surgery and is now expected back on TV in time for the 2019 Royal Rumble.
14 Goldust
Goldust is a legend in WWE circles but he is also another name on the long list of injured WWE stars right now. The WWE veteran updated the WWE Universe back in July when he confirmed that the surgery on both of his knees had gone well.
Goldust isn't someone that WWE used on WWE TV very often but the 49-year-old is hoping to come back better and stronger as he continues his current run in the company. There aren't a lot of details concerning Goldust's recent surgery and the estimated time that he will be on the sidelines for, but he's expected to be back on WWE TV ahead of next year's WrestleMania.
13 Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle is one of only two stars on this list who is missing from WWE TV but isn't actually injured. Angle was replaced by Baron Corbin a few weeks ago on Raw and various reports are now suggesting that this wasn't to give Angle a rest after more than a year at the helm of Raw, instead, it was so that Angle could train to make an active return in WWE.
Kurt Angle is expected to be part of this year's Survivor Series much like last year's show where he was part of Team Raw.
This is the perfect place to then set up a match for the former World Champion if WWE is hoping for him to remain an active talent.
12 The Big Show
The Big Show hasn't been seen on WWE TV since he was thrown through a cage last year on Raw by Braun Strowman as a way to write him off so that he could have hip surgery. The legendary giant has since revealed that he is now ready to return to WWE TV and he's waiting for WWE to find a place for him to fit in.
The former World Champion has been sidelined for over a year now and returned to training back in May so it appears that he is serious about returning to the company and extracting some revenge on Braun Strowman. We could presumably see Big Show back before the end of the year, for WWE's November show in Saudi Arabia.
11 Maria Kanellis
Maria Kanellis returned to WWE after a seven-year hiatus back at Money in the Bank 2017 and merely months later it was revealed that the former Diva Search contestant was expecting her first child and then went on maternity leave.
Maria gave birth to Fredrica Moon back in April and has been working towards an in-ring return ever since, but she revealed on her Instagram a few weeks ago that she had gotten a broken wrist, which was definitely a setback that she didn't need. Right now Maria has targeted next month's Evolution pay-per-view as her potential and hopeful return date.
10 Rowan
WWE confirmed that former Tag Team Champion Erick Rowan underwent a torn bicep as part of his match at SummerSlam and has since undergone surgery to fix the issue.
Rowan and Harper were forced to drop their Tag Team Championships to The New Day a few days later on SmackDown Live since Rowan is expected to be sidelined for the next few months.
The estimated recovery time for this kind of injury is between four and six months, which means that Rowan would be able to make his return and pick up where he left up as part of next year's Road to WrestleMania.
9 Nia Jax
Nia Jax hasn't been seen on WWE TV since she lost the Raw Women's Championship to Alexa Bliss at Money in the Bank and then failed to reclaim her title in an Extreme Rules match at the pay-per-view of the same name.
Jax has denied the fact that she is injured, but recent updates suggest that the former Champion is spending time at WWE's Performance Centre so that she can undergo physical therapy on an injured leg. Jax recently named Beth Phoenix as her dream opponent for Evolution which means that she too could be targeting the historic show as her return date.
8 Sam Gradwell
NXT United Kingdom competitor Sam Gradwell was handed some unfortunate news earlier this month when it was revealed that he had sustained a torn ACL and would require reconstructive surgery.
Gradwell had been a huge part of the NXT UK Division and both he and Travis Banks went down with injuries back in August but now it's thought that Gradwell could be out for the better part of a year as he looked to rehab this injury and come back stronger than ever. This injury comes at the worst possible time for Gradwell since NXT Uk has finally been launched after more than 18 months of waiting.
7 Sin Cara
Sin Cara was sidelined by a knee injury back in August that once again forced him to undergo minor surgery, the Luchador himself then updated the WWE Universe to confirm that surgery had gone well and he was now looking at his recovery time.
Sin Cara landed awkwardly on his leg at a house show in Spain back in 2017 and it was thought that he had legitimately injured the muscle, but he was able to continue to perform consistently on the SmackDown brand.
Cara will now be hoping that he can recover in time to be part of next year's WrestleMania.
6 Riddick Moss
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer revealed back in May that NXT star Riddick Moss had been sidelined after undergoing a torn Achilles tendon. This was confirmed after Moss was later spotted at NXT tapings on crutches and came at the worst time for the tag team star since he and partner Tino Sabbatelli were looking to dominate the tag team division in NXT.
It was also revealed that Moss was looking at around eight months on the sidelines with the injury, which means that his return could come in the build-up to NXT Takeover: New York in April 2019.
5 Aleister Black
Aleister Black was forced to miss NXT: Takeover: Brooklyn last month after it was revealed that he had sustained a groin injury and he was then removed from the main event match and attacked in the parking lot as a way to write him off NXT TV.
Black has since undergone testicular surgery and shared a number of images on Instagram that show that he is working his way back to fitness following the injury.
Black isn't the kind of star who will be on the sidelines for long and is expected to be back around Takeover: War Games in November.
4 Dasha Fuentes
Dasha Fuentes isn't one of the best known backstage interviewers in WWE, but she is still an ever-present entity as part of many WWE shows but much like many other stars on this list, she was sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury at the beginning of August and has since undergone surgery to fix her tendon and is now reported to be on the road to recovery.
Dasha is another on-screen performer who likes to train with some of the wrestlers but it appears that when she does return in around seven months time, she will only be taking part in light activities.
3 Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy has already seemingly said his farewells to the WWE Universe and was even part of an emotional send-off as part of a WWE Live Event earlier this month.
The former Tag Team Champion has been struggling with an injury which he claimed has seen his pelvis and his lower back begin to fuse together.
Hardy has since been learning the ropes as a backstage producer in the hopes that he can take on a new role with the company just in case he is unable to make a return. Hardy's return hasn't yet been revealed since it's believed that he could be looking to retire in the near future.
2 Tino Sabbatelli
Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss were once seen as one of the up and coming tag teams in NXT before both Moss and Sabbatelli both got simultaneous injuries. Back in May, it was revealed that Tino had sustained a serious torn pectoral muscle and would be sidelined for around nine months.
This means that both Tino and Moss would be returning to the company at the same time around Takeover: New York next year and will hopefully be able to pick up where they left off in the Tag Team Division on NXT but a lot can change in nine months.
1 Tegan Nox
Tegan Nox sustained a leg injury last year that kept her out of the first-ever Mae Young Classic, but she was finally able to complete her comeback when she was added to this year's tournament.
Sadly, Nox got another leg injury which was believed to be a break in her match against Rhea Ripley in the quarterfinals of this year's tournament and is now expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Nox hasn't had a lot of luck since she signed for WWE but hopefully, she's able to turn it around in 2019 and make next year her year.