When the return of Shelton Benjamin was announced on SmackDown Live on it's debut episode following the draft; the WWE Universe erupted in a frenzy.
The 41-year-old was scheduled to make his long awaited appearance, but the performer announced on Twitter that plans have been for the most part put on hold.
Shelton Benjam-In-jured
It seems the injury curse that has plagued the WWE over the past 10 months are still in effect, and Benjamin is its latest victim.
The performer, who was set to link up with SmackDown Live, had a series of vignettes in the build up to his return but a "serious" shoulder injury has dented those plans.
Seth Rollins, and Cesaro and others missed out on WrestleMania 32 and while John Cena did appear at the event he was not strictly at 100% health or cleared to perform. However, with the list of injured performers over 2016 continuing to grow, it was The Gold Standard himself who broke the hearts of wrestling fans as he announced his injury on Twitter.
He said in his first tweet from his official account @Sheltyb803 "I am both disappointed & sadden to announce that due to a serious injury to my shoulder I will not be returning to @WWE at this time."
With his WWE career put on hold many were wondering whether his career in the professional wrestling world will also be taking a back seat to which the veteran also confirmed.
He said "For now I will have to put pro-wrestling to the side as I prepare to undergo surgery to repair my torn rotator."
His final tweet is one full of sympathy and confusion on the part of the former United States Champion as he himself was unaware of how severe his condition actually was.
He continued "This comes as a shock to me as i am no stranger to performing while in pain yet I had no idea of the severity of my condition."
The WWE Universe should not be in mourning as the prospect of Benjamin returning in the future as the new era continues to grow may help benefit him in the long run.
With that in mind he gave a positive outlook as he posted "Thank you @WWE for helping me discover this situation & for giving me an opportunity to return. I will be back."
But in typical athlete fashion he finished with "For now I must refocus my energy on repairing my body and mind."
A torn rotator cuff usually takes around six+ months to fully recover but with WWE performers relying on their shoulder's much more than the average human, it will take a further two to three months to get his body back up to full strength.
Fan Reaction
With the recent announcement still fresh in the hearts of minds of the WWE public they poured their heart out for the injured performer on Twitter.
@AlexTheGreatPWS- "Shelton Benjamin not expected to make return.. And thus, my happiness dies."
@ChrisWeinerUFC- "Let's just get Shelton Benjamin healthy for MITB next year because MITB Shelton Benjamin is a very, very fun Shelton Benjamin."
@JetStreamR3V- "Heart goes out to Shelton Benjamin. Really, really tough break. :("