It was only a matter of time before Brock Lesnar made his return to WWE, as the company confirmed he would be at SummerSlam after his fight at UFC 200. Now, we know exactly when he’ll be back.
Lesnar is scheduled to appear on the live July 19th episode of SmackDown, which is the night of the brand split. It’s another nice hook for one of WWE's most imporant shows in years.
Also, Randy Orton is almost ready to return to action. The Wrestling Observer has noted that his shoulder hasn't fully healed yet, but he’s about a month away from being able to train again. After a short time spent working out at the performance center, he should be main roster ready. This will likely put him back on TV with a few weeks to spare before SummerSlam.
Both of these returns are great news for WWE, as the company needs more star power than perhaps ever before. The original draft was supplied with a lot of WCW and ECW talent, but Raw and SmackDown will have to rely on NXT call-ups, and a host of veterans who have been away to fill out the ranks.
It’s unlikely that Lesnar will be drafted due to his very part-time schedule, but Orton will definitely help boost the prestige of either brand he lands on. It may not be too much of a shock to see him show up on the live episode of SmackDown, so we know exactly where he'll be headed.
