Seth Rollins’ Injury Could Be Golden Opportunity for WWE

Rather than sticking with the familiar, WWE should see Seth Rollins’ injury as a chance to shake things up. 

News that WWE Champion Seth Rollins has suffered a severe injury and will be out up to 9 months has sent the wrestling world into chaos, and already speculation is emerging about who will win the tournament at Survivor Series to be the new champion. Most of the options being presented are, to put it bluntly, damn boring. Roman Reigns? Sheamus? Brock Lesnar? While there are upsides and downsides to most of the likely contenders, WWE should see this as an opportunity to chart a fresh path.

The upside to having a tournament is that it provides opportunity to fast track a superstar’s emergence. A brand new star can be constructed literally out of nothing and end the night as champion. While the WWE has often been knocked for their hesitancy to create new, interesting characters, that’s not a complaint that can be lodged against them right now, and this is their time to put that uber-talented roster to good use. While the particulars of the tournament are yet to be revealed, expect their to be a healthy amount of rising stars in the mix, possibly even a few from the NXT roster. But what would be the point if they aren’t going to be given a chance to shine?

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If the WWE wanted to pull a Kevin Owens-style shocker, they could include the incredibly popular, and newly “heel” Samoa Joe. Joe is the kind of talent that fans will immediately respond to, whether they love him or hate him, but he also has that dominating presence similar to Lesnar and would be a viable alternative to putting the belt back on “The Beast” who only works when he feels like it.  He’s a big man yet a technical marvel who can go full speed against anyone, and his diversity offers a wealth of great future matchups.

If the fans in the Cesaro Section have their way, WWE will quit screwing around and finally give Cesaro the push he deserves. The Swiss Superman has had a schizophrenic run to the top over the last few months, having some amazing, high-quality matches with WWE’s top-tier superstars. Unfortunately he always comes out on the losing end, and yet the fans have grown to love him in an organic way, similar to Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top.

And what about Neville? The high-flying former NXT champion has been positioned as the perennial underdog, and he perhaps has the best natural storyline for this tournament. Imagine the under-sized Neville winning a series of matches against much bigger opponents, overcoming the odds placed against him to score a championship win in a finale against someone like Lesnar or Sheamus. Sometimes WWE forgets that the best stories are the most simple. Imagine the pop from the crowd at a Neville championship victory. Imagine the true “WWE Moment” that could be, and let’s not forget Neville took Rollins to the limit in a World Title match just months ago.

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WWE has a chance to turn lemons into lemonade here, and it starts with something they aren’t always in favor of doing: taking a big risk. Their long-term plans have already been thrown into the shredder, so what do they have to lose by wiping the slate clean and giving fans something new to cheer for?