2 days Ago By Graham GSM Matthews
It's been a rather rough year for injuries in WWE and AEW with a slew of stars getting sidelined throughout 2024. Both rosters are deep enough that the two companies have been able to fill the voids left behind and maintain momentum in the absence of their injured athletes, but there's no telling how drastically different the weekly products would be if they were still around. Although there's never a good time to get hurt, the timing of certain setbacks this year have been extra unfortunate.
CM Punk was forced to miss WrestleMania 40 after tearing his triceps in the men's Royal Rumble, while Kenny Omega has been out all year dealing with diverticulitis. A number of other notable names have also been missing from action in 2024 that fans are excited to see resurface sooner rather than later. Their inevitable returns are guaranteed to make great moments, but how they'll be utilized from that point forward is of greater importance.
These are the best ways that the WWE and AEW wrestlers screwed by injuries in 2024 can bounce back in a major way in 2025. AJ Styles' extended absence from WWE programming following his loss to Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes at Clash in the Castle in June was noticeable, though it wasn't for anything injury-related. Rather, the company simply had nothing for him creatively, and once he was brought back to television in early October, he suffered a legitimate injury during a match with Carmelo Hayes and hasn't been seen since.
The Phenomenal One's days in the ring are clearly numbered, which is why WWE can't waste however much time he has left when he's cleared to compete eventually. John Cena will have a retirement tour of his own in 2025, but there's no reason why a legend of Styles' caliber can't do something similar in his final few months (or years depending on how long he intends to keep wrestling). Specifically, Styles belongs in the main-event mix, ideally on the Raw side where he wouldn't be overshadowed by Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.
Challenging Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship sometime in the spring or summer—provided he's still in possession of the prestigious prize by then—would be an excellent use of him. In the main event of the Nov. 6 edition of Dynamite, Powerhouse Hobbs returned to action after sustaining a knee injury during an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match with Jon Moxley earlier in the year.
The former member of The Don Callis Family turned face by separating himself from the stable and teaming with Ricochet. It's been nearly four years since Hobbs was a fan favorite last, so he has untapped potential if AEW uses him properly. As it always has, it will come down to the booking with Hobbs to ensure he'll be successful as a singles star this time around.
He has the tools to excel on his own and not be held down by joining yet another faction. Hobbs' brief run as AEW TNT champion hardly caused his stock to skyrocket, so perhaps he'd have better luck setting his sights on the AEW International Championship in 2025. In the meantime, it's imperative that he continue to rack up victories and give the audience a reason to rally behind him again.
CM Punk started 2024 as one of the odds-on favorites to win the men's Royal Rumble match, mere months after returning the company in shocking fashion at Survivor Series. He tore his triceps during the bout, derailing his road to WrestleMania 40 and putting him out of action until SummerSlam. Although Cody Rhodes was scheduled to win the men's Rumble regardless, Punk was confirmed to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at 'Mania had he been healthy.
The two have crossed paths since then, but it's apparent WWE is intentionally holding off on them having their highly-anticipated program until WrestleMania 41. Rollins is currently busy with Bronson Reed, and Punk has been off WWE TV since finishing his feud with Drew McIntyre at Bad Blood. Revisiting the Rollins vs.
Punk rivalry is the most obvious direction for both men in the first few months of the new year, and from there, Punk can work his way back toward World Heavyweight Championship contention, whether he ultimately wins the title or not. He has plenty more to offer WWE as an active competitor and has a huge year ahead of him. Kenny Omega having multiple Match of the Year candidates in the final few months of 2024 despite not being 100 percent is a testament to the tremendous talent he is and how he's going to take all of AEW by storm if he returns better than he was before.
The former AEW World champion is closing in one year since he had to step away from in-ring competition. At that time, he was teaming with Chris Jericho and chasing the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but he should be far away from The Learning Tree once he's ready to resurface. A feud with The Elite would make much more sense considering they severed ties with him earlier this year and left him laying in a vicious assault.
Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada in particular has to happen as part of that program. The AEW roster looks a lot different now compared to when he was sidelined last year, so there's no shortage of skilled opponents for him to battle once he gets through The Elite.
Through his unbelievable matches, Omega will have no trouble reminding the world why he's still among the best in the business. Coming off his terrific run as NXT champion, Ilja Dragunov arrived on the Raw roster this past spring with quite a bit of fanfare. Unfortunately, WWE failed to capitalize on his hot momentum off the bat and instead relegated him to the midcard for most of the summer.
Dragunov had stellar showings any time he stepped inside the squared circle, but he also didn't find himself involved in much of note. Just as he was starting to find his footing and get closer to contending for the Intercontinental Championship, he tore his ACL during a live event match against Gunther in late September. Barring a miraculously early comeback, Dragunov is expected to out until mid-2025.
No matter what the WWE landscape looks like by then, a Dragunov vs. Gunther feud is a must. Gunther should take credit for sidelining his longtime foe, leading to them rekindling their rivalry on the main roster.
Having the World Heavyweight Championship up for grabs would be a welcome bonus, but even a title-free affair would be an epic war, regardless. Dragunov has barely scratched the surface of what he brings to the table on the main roster and should be line for something significant when he returns. At the close of 2023, Eddie Kingston was riding high as the AEW Continental Crown champion, a unified title consisting of the ROH World Championship, the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship and the AEW Continental Championship.
One by one, Kingston dropped each of his titles, but his television time never decreased. He remained a recurring character on AEW programming until breaking his leg and tearing his ACL and meniscus back in May. His injuries were attributed to The Elite, so if they're still a heel unit six or so months from now, Kingston knows exactly who to target.
It will be a while until he's healthy and completely rehabilitated, though. Holding AEW's slew of midcard titles should have only been the beginning for Kingston. Getting revenge on The Elite will take precedence, but beyond that, he should be back in the AEW World Championship conversation at some point.
There's many more feuds for him to have and countless championships for him to win. His goodwill with the audience is undeniable and will be a key factor in getting him to the top of the card where he belongs. Charlotte Flair has been known to take time off every so often in recent years for a litany of reasons, but her current absence has lasted longer than any other.
She suffered several injuries during a December 2023 match with Asuka on SmackDown that she has yet to fully recover from. Flair will be back before long, but there's no official timetable for her return. When she is good to go again, it's safe to assume she'll be joining the SmackDown brand where her husband Andrade resides.
There's any number of directions WWE can go in with Flair, including getting her involved in however they intend to crown the inaugural Women's United States champion. While it wouldn't add to her growing record of world title wins, it would get the gold on an established star out of the gate. More logically, she could enter a feud with WWE Women's champion Nia Jax in an effort to determine the true Queen of the company.
Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton is another exciting opponent for Flair down the road, potentially at WrestleMania 41 is Stratton is champ by then. Flair will find herself at the forefront of the division per usual in 2025.
It didn't take long for Adam Copeland to feel like the perfect fit for AEW. He settled into a fun feud with former friend Christian Cage immediately upon arriving last year and went on to win the AEW TNT Championship on two separate occasions. The fresh matchups he was having along the way made his second stint with the title enjoyable, but an unfortunate injury suffered in his Steel Cage clash with Malakai Black at Double or Nothing forced him to relinquish the belt and miss the remainder of the year.
The Rated-R Superstar is clearly closer to the end of his iconic career than the beginning, so another serious injury could be enough to put him in a permanent retirement. If he can steer clear of that, there's a ton more people he can work with in AEW before he calls it quits. Jack Perry would be an obvious option since he captured the vacant TNT title in his absence, but anyone in The Elite or Jon Moxley's new group would be equally appealing.
Whenever Copeland is cleared to compete, all AEW needs to do is to have him wrestle as frequently as possible to make up for the time lost and give fans the matches they want to see most. Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant , and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
.
