Seth Rollins will not leave SummerSlam as World Heavyweight Champion

Finn Balor is set for a rematch with Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, making for another edition of the rivalry seven years in the making. Rematches in title feuds are not as commonplace as they used to be in WWE, which makes the second faceoff in the last month feel all that more intentional.

Balor’s career was set for an entirely different trajectory when he became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion in 2016 by beating Seth Rollins, but his career was flipped upside down the same night. Balor suffered a dislocated shoulder at SummerSlam and WWE’s next biggest star, was taken out of action by Seth Rollins.

At Money in the Bank, Balor beating Rollins did not feel realistic, but this time it does. The chance for Balor to get his revenge on Rollins is more than present, and this time around the seeds are already being planted for Balor to put Rollins out of action.

On the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Seth Rollins detailed injuries that have been nagging him even through his run as champion, “My knees been bugging me before WrestleMania. My neck acting up, my lower back has been at me since 2019, probably should get surgery on that, but trying to do whatever I can to make sure I don’t need it,” said Rollins.

Rollins said this just weeks before defending his championship in a rematch at an event where injury was the biggest storyline seven years ago, does not feel like a coincidence. I would not be surprised at all if Balor wins the belt by injuring Rollins and writing him off of television for the foreseeable future.

The presence of Señor Money in the Bank, Damian Priest, is certain to be a factor at the August 5th event as well. Turmoil in Judgment Day has been teased over the past few weeks, and although things seem to be less rocky for the time being, that doesn’t mean Priest won’t suddenly betray his faction mate Finn Balor.

Balor has felt like the member of the Judgement Day most likely to leave the faction first, and a double title change at SummerSlam accomplishes that. Balor injuries Rollins in their match causing Rollins to struggle mightily and eventually lose his title, then Priest makes short work with the Money in the Bank briefcase cashing in on Balor while the Judgement Day celebrates the win.

Another outcome is that Balor loses to Rollins clean once again, but after the match, a four-on-one beatdown occurs as the Judgement Day gang up on Rollins to make sure he loses his belt by cash in to Damian Priest.

Either way, if Rollins simply loses his match to Balor, or if Damian Priest uses his Money in the Bank briefcase to cash in on the first World Heavyweight Champion, the odds feel stacked against Rollins to walk out with the belt. Rollins discussing injuries he is suffering from just weeks before his big match of the Summer seems like foreshadowing to me that someway, somehow, he is due for time off, sooner rather than later.