The Gold Standard is heading to a ring near you.
Nine months after being announced for a return to the WWE on Smackdown Live only to be pulled due to a shoulder injury, Shelton Benjamin has announced that he has been fully cleared to return to the ring. According to his tweet, Benjamin says he's able to start wrestling right away.
After 9 of the hardest months of my life, I'm happy to announce I have been OFFICIALLY CLEARED to return to action. Effective Immediately!
— Shelton J. Benjamin (@Sheltyb803) March 30, 2017
Benjamin was set to return to the WWE after a six-year absence shortly after the brand split last July. Unfortunately, right when he was set to return, it was discovered by the WWE medical staff that Benjamin suffered a torn rotator cuff that required surgery to repair.
It was later revealed that Benjamin had been wrestling injured for about two-and-a-half months. Speaking with Jim Ross on The Ross Report last summer, Benjamin said he remembered exactly when the injury occurred.
"A guy gave me a unique suplex and basically all of my weight and some of his weight landed on my shoulder," he said. "When it happened, I knew right then 'okay that could have done some damage."
He added that he finished the match, and that the medical staff gave him medicine and treated it with a wait and see approach.
Though, it did take him a while to be fully stopped, it was proof that all it took was a suplex to stop Benjamin. There has been no update as to whether Benjamin will still return to the company now that he is fully cleared.
