WWE Had No Plans To Bring Back Roderick Strong Following His Injury

Roderick Strong debuted for All Elite Wrestling this past Wednesday night on "AEW Dynamite" by coming to the aid of his former Undisputed Era teammate Adam Cole. The appearance came as a surprise as it was presumed that Strong was still under contract with WWE. It was reported last month that Strong was still contracted to the promotion. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE had no plans to bring back Strong once he had fully recovered from an ankle injury that he suffered last year. 

Strong had asked to be released from his WWE contract last May, but that request was reportedly turned down. He continued to perform on the "WWE NXT" brand with the Diamond Mine stable after his former Undisputed Era buddies Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, and Bobby Fish had moved on from the company. Strong's final appearance for WWE came on the October 11, 2022, episode of "NXT," where he interacted with Diamond Mine's Ivy Nile and the Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus Creed) in a hospital segment after being attacked by former teammate Damon Kemp. It's said that the Kemp attack was done as the cover story to take Strong off television following his ankle injury. 

After years of performing on the independent scene, Strong made his "NXT" debut in October 2016, teaming up with Austin Aries in that year's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. Later that month, it was confirmed that the former Ring of Honor World Champion had signed a deal with WWE. Strong would go on to win the "NXT" North American Championship, the "NXT" Cruiserweight Championship, and the "NXT" Tag Team Championship on two occasions with O'Reilly and The Undisputed Era.