Projecting Tyson Kidd's Role as a WWE Manager After Return From Neck Injury

Another WWE Superstar has found himself out of the ring and into a suit.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestle Zone), Tyson Kidd is taking a role as a backstage agent for SmackDown Live. Presumably, the move is being made so he can be on the same program as his wife, Natalya.

The two will be back for Total Divas, but Kidd may not be back between the ropes.

Fans of the Canadian-born Superstar are likely not very happy at this news. Kidd's potential was obvious from the moment he debuted in WWE; he had a great technical game and was fundamentally sound in every way. He was never the biggest guy in the locker room, but he had a lot of fight in him. Fans appreciated that.

Of course he had to be tough; he received his training in the infamous Hart Dungeon.

That background and connection to Bret Hart's family was enough to solidify him as a man with a bright future in WWE. He had the whole world in front of him, and he had the skills to go as high as the company would allow him to go.

But Kidd's successes came in the tag team division. He first teamed with David Hart Smith in The Hart Dynasty, and they became the unified WWE tag team champions in 2010. He later teamed with Cesaro, and they became WWE tag team champions in 2015. It was with Cesaro when Kidd finally found his way and got over after six years in the company.

Then the worst happened. Kidd went out of action in the summer of 2015 with a devastating neck injury, which he suffered in a match against Samoa Joe. Kidd's wrestling career, and his quality of life, was suddenly in danger. 

But true to his roots, Kidd fought back. 

Kidd never let his condition slow him down. He worked hard to return, and even though he's not in the ring again, he's still part of the company. So what happens now?

There is life after pro wrestling, and WWE's backstage producers can testify to that. Dean Malenko, Fit Finlay, Mike Rotunda, Road Dogg Jesse James and WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson are just some of the men responsible for keeping the ship upright behind the scenes.

Kidd will be learning from these men, who know their way around in the company. He should be in very capable hands. But what if WWE chooses to use him in another role?

Though news of Kidd's new backstage position has just been made public, there is always the possibility that WWE will choose to put him back on TV. The temptation to put him with Natalya in a storyline may be too much for the company to ignore, so fans may see him sooner than they expected.

Then there's always the chance that he could come back as a manager.

Indeed that is the one role fans always seem to gravitate toward, and with good reason. There was a time when managers ruled in the business. From Bobby Heenan to Paul Heyman to Jim Cornette to Paul Ellering, managers made a very good living on camera representing their wrestlers.

Heyman is still active on Monday Night Raw, of course, and the same is true of Ellering in NXT. Titus O'Neil is also being used in a similar spot on Raw. Why not book Kidd the same way?

He's very good at running heel and would certainly be capable of drawing serious heat from the crowd. Just because he's working as a manager does not mean he would have to get physically involved, and if that was a fear, he could always be used as Daniel Bryan is.

What if Kidd was assigned as an assistant to Bryan on SmackDown Live?

The biggest part about the transition is the transition itself. Kidd has to change his mindset from that of a talent trying to get back and get over in the ring, to a talent trying to get over in a new spot. Considering he's been sidelined for two years, Kidd has likely had plenty of time to adjust and realize what's potentially ahead of him instead of behind.

With the right encouragement and the proper path, there's no reason why Kidd cannot flourish in the second chapter of his WWE career. He's got a lot of experience, and that experience can be used to help younger guys who are working hard to discover their own identities. 

That can be done whether or not Kidd is booked on TV again, and he surely has options from this point on. He's just getting started, and it's time for him to rise to the occasion once again.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online at boinkstudios.com