Well known independent wrestler Chris Hero’s name made rounds all over social media when it was reported that he would be headed back to the WWE, but how true was that report? Keep in mind, Hero was involved with WWE in the past and was used in the early days of WWE NXT. They would end up releasing him for reasons other than his skill in the ring or mic work as he had both in spades.
The reason for cutting him had to do with his look. He began to noticeably gain weight, and WWE felt that this was due to lack of proper diet skills, and, of course, lack of exercise outside of the ring. They warned him on multiple occasions to fix the problem, even offering dietary tips and basically giving him every opportunity to shape up before they let him go.
He decided to continue doing the same things, so WWE had no choice but to release the popular indie star. This led to a lot of hate online, but when people found out why Chris Hero was let go, many quickly turned their opinion around and claimed WWE did the right thing. When you warn someone over and over, and they disrespect your wishes as a boss, you really have no choice. The question is, why would they want to hire Hero back now?
Chris Hero is now much heavier than he was when WWE originally hired him a few years back. He can still wrestle relatively well, but he does not look in shape at all, and the look he had when he was released was actually far superior to the one he has now. Many believe the reason for WWE’s interest has mostly to do with wanting to take over the independent world.
Of course, all of the speculation behind Chris Hero returning was just that and only a rumor. Although first reported by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer , it was not certain that Hero would be hired back because he obviously had to pass medical testing. Now, according to Cageside Seats , we know Chris Hero has, in fact, passed all WWE medical testing.
This means that a WWE return seems as if it could happen at any point, and it would not be shocking to see WWE bring him back on their next set of WWE NXT tapings, which won’t be seen by WWE fans until the first of the year. Despite his incredible weight gain since he was last with WWE, Chris Hero does still have an ability to go in the ring.
WWE knows his weight has not hurt that part of his game immensely, although it did affect it some because size change does that to people. WWE may also think that they can bring him in and help him lose the weight he gained over time as well. Many who knew they would join WWE were told to lose weight before they came in and did just that.
Both Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe lost significant weight, and although they remained at a big size, it was a healthy size, and they were in great shape. Maybe the same will happen with Chris Hero, which would be an interesting turn of events. One has to wonder too if they will keep his name or have him return to his old one he used in WWE before, Kassius Ohno.
The name was basically a gimmick, as his notable elbow finisher would knock people out. With his name having “KO” in the initials, it made a lot of sense to go with. However, WWE now has Kevin Owens who uses the KO moniker now. That said, there is a good possibility that WWE will have Chris Hero return with his name intact, rather than have him return under his former WWE name.
[Featured Image By WWE]
