Kiana James made her long-awaited return to in-ring competition on Friday, July 18, 2025, during the Main Event tapings that took place before SmackDown in San Antonio, Texas. This marked her first match in over a year, ending a 398-day absence from WWE TV.
James faced Michin in her comeback bout during the Main Event tapings at the Frost Bank Center. The match was taped ahead of the SmackDown broadcast and will air on WWE Main Event, which streams every Thursday on Hulu.
Following her Main Event return, James made a subtle on-screen appearance during Friday’s SmackDown broadcast. She was spotted in the background of a backstage segment featuring Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, where she appeared to be in conversation with Women’s United States Champion Giulia. This brief cameo got fans on social media speculating about a potential new alliance between the two.
Injury and Recovery Timeline
James had been sidelined since June 17, 2024, when she last competed in a Money in the Bank qualifying triple threat match on WWE Raw against IYO SKY and Zelina Vega. She suffered a serious leg injury just weeks after being drafted to the Raw brand in April 2024.
The timing of her injury was particularly unfortunate, as James had only recently been called up from NXT to the main roster during the 2024 WWE Draft. She managed to secure just one victory on Raw – defeating Natalya in early June – before the injury occurred.
In April 2025, James confirmed she had been dealing with a knee injury and was in the middle of rehabilitation. Recent reports indicated she had been cleared or was nearing clearance over a month ago, with sightings backstage at WWE shows including Evolution and a previous SmackDown event in Lexington, Kentucky.
Before her injury, James had established herself as a promising talent in NXT, where she held the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Fallon Henley. During her time in developmental, she feuded with top stars including Roxanne Perez, Tiffany Stratton, Lyra Valkyria, and even Becky Lynch.
The 28-year-old from Sioux City, Iowa, originally signed with WWE in 2022 and spent two years building her reputation in NXT before her main roster call-up.