WWE News: Huge Update on Possible Plans for Evan Bourne, WrestleMania 28 Bound?

Evan Bourne screwed up royally twice in 2011, but to the surprise of many, he’s managed to remain with the WWE.

Although Bourne was suspended for violating the company’s talent wellness program and then got himself suspended yet again, he’s still got a spot on the roster and never became a victim of the old “future endeavors” phrase.

Obviously, the WWE kept Bourne around because they have plans to use him in the future, and now, we have a big update on exactly what those plans might be.

From PWInsider.com (via WrestlingInc.com):

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There is a lot of talk within WWE that Evan Bourne may return to feud with Jack Swagger for the United States Title once WrestleMania 28 is over. Bourne is also under consideration for one of the spots on Team Long for the big multi-man match at WrestleMania. 

According to the report, officials are considering leaving Bourne off WrestleMania altogether as a form of punishment for his repeated Wellness failures over the past few months. 

When pushing Bourne is brought up, the argument is there that he could be fired from the company if he fails another test. WWE officials are always hesitant to push talents who have failed more than one test.

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I’ve always been a fan of Bourne, but I honestly think the WWE is setting a bad precedent if he gets any type of push immediately upon his return. It’s like the WWE saying, “Hey, we don’t care that you violated the wellness policy twice. We’re just going to push the guys we want to push.” 

While I’m all for second chances, Bourne was an embarrassment both to himself and the company last year when he failed two wellness tests back-to-back, and just getting suspended twice isn’t enough. I’m not saying the guy needs to be buried when he returns to TV, but he should start at the bottom and then work his way back up the card. 

Bourne’s “punishment” should start when he is indeed left off the WrestleMania 28 card, though. He doesn’t deserve to appear on the biggest pay-per-view of the year (and get the big payday that comes along with it) when guys who have actually been around for the last several months are struggling to even get on the card. 

What the WWE needs to do with Bourne is what it did with Jeff Hardy a few years back: Give the guy a second chance, absolutely. But make him prove that he’s truly changed his ways, that he’s not going to fail another wellness test and that can be a reliable performer for the company going forward. 

That can’t happen right when Bourne comes back, likely later this month. It’s going to take time. 

Certainly a lot longer than a couple of weeks or so.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions on Formspring.