'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak was reportedly supposed to return to WWE at last week's episode of SmackDown.
Gulak was last seen on TV on the May 27th edition of the Friday Night show, where the Intercontinental Champion Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser defeated the 35-year-old and Ricochet in a tag team bout. Following that appearance, he sporadically competed on house shows and was nowhere to be seen on SmackDown.
Fightful now reports that Drew Gulak was planned as the original squash opponent for The Viking Raiders for last week's SmackDown. However, this somehow didn't pan out for reasons still up in the air. Instead, the duo of Erik and Ivar went on to defeat the team of Jim Mulkey and Tommy Gibson.
It's no secret that Gulak hasn't had the smoothest of rides on WWE's main roster so far. Despite some initial promise, thanks to his association with now-AEW star Bryan Danielson, his momentum soon fizzled out.
Since then, he has been a regular fixture in the 24/7 Championship picture and also became a backstage interviewer for SmackDown for a few weeks. It remains to be seen if something interesting is being cooked up for Drew Gulak now that Triple H is in charge of booking in the global juggernaut.
Triple H has big plans for some "absent" WWE stars
Drew Gulak is not the only one who has been absent from WWE programming in recent weeks and months. However, many of those could now be on their way back with Hunter at the helm. One among them is Kevin Owens, with a recent report hinting at something being "cooked up" for him by the creative team.
Another name that has cropped up is T-Bar, who has rarely been featured on WWE TV in recent months, wrestling only exclusively on Main Event. As per a report, he could soon be "repackaged." Fans will have to wait and see if the names mentioned above undergo any significant changes moving forward.
Do you see Drew Gulak becoming relevant again in the global juggernaut under HHH's regime? Sound off in the comments section below.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
