Published: Jul 19, 2025 by Liam | Last Updated: Jul 19, 2025 by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.
WWE
A WWE star has returned to action after a over a year out of action and has potentially formed a new tag team in the process.
In the 2024 WWE Draft, Kiana James was called up to Raw from NXT, but she would only appear on the show for a few weeks before suffering a serious leg injury.
Word had emerged recently of James being backstage at WWE shows, suggesting she was nearing a return to the ring, including photos surfacing of her backstage at Evolution last weekend.
At tonight’s July 18 episode of WWE SmackDown, James did indeed make her in-ring return, working a Main Event match before SmackDown went on the air against Michin.
Not only that, but James actually made an on-screen appearance on SmackDown as well.
Early in the show in a backstage segment, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss announced they will be challenging Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship at SummerSlam.
However, in the background, Kiana James was spotted in conversation with Women’s United States Champion Giulia, seemingly kicking off a new alliance between the two.
We’ll keep you posted if they make any further appearances on the show as it progresses.
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