Rich Swann Returns To In-Ring Competition

He could not stay away from the ring.

Rich Swann had quite the whirlwind of a 2017 in a short span of time as he was once a WWE superstar, then he and the company mutually agreed to part ways, and following that Swann decided that he no longer wanted to be a pro wrestler and announced his retirement from the sport.

In December of 2017 Swann was suspended indefinitely by WWE for violating their zero tolerance policy for domestic violence. Rich Swann and his wife Vannarah Riggs, also known as 'Su Yung' were involved in an altercation with one another that resulted in Swann being arrested. Rich Swann was arrested on charges of battery and false imprisonment, and in January of this year the charges that were placed against him were dismissed due to lack of evidence to find him guilty. The following month after being cleared of the charges Swann and WWE agreed to mutually part ways. After his departure from company Swann had dates lined up with the 'CRASH Lucha Libre' and 'House Of Hardcore' promotions. Prior to his booking dates Swann announced his retirement from the sport of pro wrestling and stated that once his duties were fulfilled he would be stepping away from wrestling. Swann ended up pulling out of his scheduled dates starting his "retirement" early.

At tonight's CZW 'Best Of The Best 17' tournament, the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion was revealed as a surprise entrant into the tournament; inserting himself into a Triple-Threat match that involved Joey Janela, Brandon Kirk, and Joe Gacy. Swann was unsuccessful in his in-ring return as he was pinned by Joe Gacy.

This was not Swann's first go-around in CZW as he worked for the promotion in 2009 and made his way out in 2013. Swann's last wrestling match was on the December 5th edition of 205 Live where he defeated Tony Nese.