WWE star breaks silence after return from almost 400-day hiatus

A WWE Superstar who was away from action for over a year has finally returned. Kiana James made her official SmackDown debut on tonight's edition of the blue brand and posted her first comment soon after.

James, after a two-year run on NXT, was moved to the RAW brand during the 2024 Draft in April last year. After a brief run, she went on a hiatus due to a leg injury and missed more than a year of action.

Kiana James was spotted backstage on SmackDown last week with Giulia. Tonight, she made her official SmackDown debut and is portraying the role of Giulia's “official representation." She later took to her X handle and sent the following message:

"And suddenly… the value just went up 😏👜," she wrote.

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James has already stepped back into the ring following her near 400-day hiatus from WWE TV. On the July 18, 2025 edition of Main Event, she took on Michin in a singles match. Unfortunately, she lost her first in-ring outing in over a year.

Many fans had been waiting to see James back on TV for a long time. It remains to be seen what Triple H has in store for her now that she's finally back.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Angana Roy