WWE Rumors on LA Knight's Return, Sheamus' Injury, Oba Femi's Main Roster Call-Up

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Knight Reportedly Closing in on Return to WWE TV

LA Knight has not been seen on WWE programming for the past three weeks, but his absence reportedly may come to an end in the near future.

According to BodySlam.net (h/t WrestlePurists), Knight is expected to return "very soon," and it could happen as early as next week's episode of Raw.

On the Dec. 8 episode of Raw, Knight faced Logan Paul in a singles match, and he came out on the losing end due to interference from The Vision. Afterward, The Vision added injury to insult when Bronson Reed hit Knight with a Tsunami on top of a car.

While Knight has been away, The Vision has run roughshod over Raw with the likes of CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and Penta in their crosshairs.

The Vision's Bron Breakker will challenge Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship next week on Raw, which could make it the perfect time for Knight to return.

Punk has acknowledged that he is outnumbered by The Vision, but if Knight returns in surprise fashion, he could help even the odds to some degree and aid Punk in retaining the title.

That would not only prolong Punk's title reign, but it would also put Knight in a big spot and lock him into a rivalry with Breakker and The Vision heading toward Royal Rumble on Jan. 31.

Sheamus Reportedly Undergoes Surgery

Veteran WWE Superstar Sheamus reportedly went under the knife recently after being removed from the Last Time Is Now tournament.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Sheamus underwent successful shoulder surgery in Alabama on Tuesday.

Last month, Sheamus beat Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round of the Last Time Is Now tournament, which was a 16-man tourney to determine the final opponent of John Cena's career.

However, before his second-round match, Sheamus was removed from the tournament due to injury.

The Miz replaced Sheamus and lost to LA Knight, who went on to reach the finals before falling to Gunther.

Sheamus has not appeared on WWE programming since his removal from the tournament, and the report regarding his surgery suggests he could be in store for a long-term absence.

The Celtic Warrior is undoubtedly a future WWE Hall of Famer as evidenced by his status as a four-time world champion, three-time United States champion, five-time tag team champion, one-time Royal Rumble winner, one-time Money in the Bank winner and one-time King of the Ring winner.

Sheamus has been utilized more as a mid-carder than a main eventer in recent years, but he is still hugely valuable due to his ability to have a great match with anyone, so he will be sorely missed while he is out of action.

Femi's Main Roster Call-Up Reportedly on Horizon

Oba Femi is the reigning NXT champion, but there are reportedly imminent plans for him to get called up to the main roster.

According to BodySlam.net (h/t Ortman), Femi is poised to get called up to the main roster soon, and WWE officials believe he is "on par" with Bron Breakker in terms of being a future face of the company.

The Ruler made his main roster debut at Saturday Night's Main Event on Dec. 12, facing WWE champion Cody Rhodes in an exhibition match.

There was no definitive winner due to interference from Drew McIntyre, but Femi took the fight to Rhodes and was highly impressive on what was the biggest stage of his career to date.

WWE has been airing vignettes hyping up Oba on Raw and SmackDown since then, leading to even more speculation that a call-up will occur in the near future.

It is unclear what that might mean for Femi's status as NXT champion, but that is likely secondary if WWE does indeed view him as the next big thing.

With the Royal Rumble set for Jan. 31, there would perhaps be no better time for his call-up to happen, as Femi could turn in a dominant performance in the men's Royal Rumble match, which would make him look strong even if he doesn't win.