Four Stars Who Could Soon Return to SmackDown

SmackDown’s roster has been thinner than usual in several key spots, but that could change in the coming weeks and months as a handful of notable names work their way back from injury or time away.

Drew McIntyre remains on the outside looking in after losing an Unsanctioned Match to Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 42 Night One. Since then, “The Scottish Warrior” has been focused on building out his Hollywood résumé, popping up in a pair of film projects. Whenever he does make his way back to Friday nights, he’ll be stepping into a stacked Undisputed WWE Championship picture, with old rivalries against Cody Rhodes and CM Punk still available and newer names like Trick Williams offering fresh matchups.

On the tag team side, Elton Prince is working back from one of the more serious injuries on the roster. Prince underwent neck fusion surgery in January 2026, a procedure serious enough to put his in-ring future in doubt. While he’s been out, his Pretty Deadly partner Kit Wilson has carved out a singles niche built around his over-the-top personality. A healthy return for Prince would give Wilson a built-in reunion story and potentially reestablish Pretty Deadly as a factor in the SmackDown tag division.

Jordynne Grace’s situation is different — she’s not injured, just currently without direction. Grace made the jump from NXT to SmackDown at the start of 2026 and wasted little time inserting herself into the title picture, going after Jade Cargill and the WWE Women’s Championship. That pursuit came up short, and Grace has since drifted from the spotlight. There’s reportedly been talk of pairing her with Ivy Nile, a combination that could give her a clearer path back into the mix during the back half of the year.

The biggest name on this list is Rhea Ripley, who has been out since Clash in Italy with a torn meniscus. Ripley is technically still the WWE Women’s Champion despite the layoff, with Chelsea Green holding things down as interim champion in her absence. That setup all but writes its own next chapter: once Ripley is cleared, a unification match with Green feels like the obvious way to determine an undisputed champion.

Taken together, these four returns represent a lot of potential change for SmackDown. McIntyre slots back into a championship scene that’s been one of WWE’s hottest storylines all year. Prince’s comeback would restore a tag team that had real momentum before the injury. Grace pairing with Nile could jump-start a women’s division subplot that’s been quiet since her title loss. And Ripley’s eventual return carries the highest stakes of all, since it directly affects who walks around as the undisputed women’s champion.

None of these returns have a confirmed date yet, but each one is worth tracking as WWE builds toward its fall and winter slate. When healthy talent starts trickling back onto a roster this deep, it tends to reshuffle a lot more than just one storyline.