Rhyno has been sitting home for 14 months and five days by his count, doing little more than waiting for his C6 and C7 vertebrae to fuse. Today, the home that he's been building is all but done, and his wife, Mirja, is thisclose to delivering their first child.

Funny how life works: Now that he finally has a comfortable house to hang his hat and will have a baby daughter (who they plan to name Kiara Ann) born in February, it appears that it's time for him to return to World Wrestling Entertainment.

But Rhyno isn't complaining at all. He just wants to get back in the ring.

After hosting the RAW party at The World on Monday night, the Man-Beast caught a 6 a.m. flight to San Antonio, Texas, where he was to see Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, the physician who performed fusion surgery on him on Nov. 2, 2001.

"Hopefully, knock on wood, he'll say I'm ready to rock 'n' roll," Rhyno said on Monday. "Last time I saw him, two months ago, he released me as far as bumping and everything. (He just said) don't take a piledriver or get hit over the head with a chair. He said, 'By the time you come and see me again, if everything holds up, I'll give you your full release.'"

Rhyno said he feels like he's physically ready to return.

"(There has been) no pain for a long time," he said. "Things throughout the year -- numbness and tingling -- all went away gradually. It's kind of like phases you go though, because your body's healing itself. My strength is back, but the size isn't completely back. It's about 85 percent there. But it's definitely a night-and-day difference (compared to) six months ago."

After getting clearance to get in the ring for light workouts, Rhyno went to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Ky., in early December. He spent 10 days there, until OVW closed for the holidays, getting re-accustomed to wrestling in a match (but avoiding high-impact maneuvers). Just as Chris Benoit -- who had a similar surgical procedure -- had told him, returning to the ring after a severe injury is much more difficult mentally than physically.

"I'm mentally holding myself back, which is good because you don't want to go all out," Rhyno said. "Like (Benoit) said, it takes a little time. You start off slow, and that's what I did."

After he sees Dr. Youngblood today, Rhyno will talk with WWE officials to find out his next step. He may be sent back to OVW, but he hopes not.

Asked if he wanted to be back in WWE by the Royal Rumble, Rhyno replied, "I'd love to be back this weekend." He was dead serious.

"I mean, it's been 14 months and five days, give or take a day or two," he said. "I'd like to get on the road and work out before the show starts, and then have a match and build my wind. I think that'll be my hardest obstacle. You can do all the cardio you want. I do a lot of cardio now. But in-shape and ring-shape are two different things. And that's what I need: that ring shape."

He added that he wouldn't mind being part of the SmackDown! brand.

"That way I can walk through a lot of stuff with Chris," he said. "Mentally, like I said, you're your own worst enemy. You know you can do things, but you're kind of afraid to. I'd like to get in there on house shows and work out with him. He's a very giving person. He offered his home for me to come down there and train."