We all know what happened to the boy who cried wolf. When he finally needed help, nary anyone believed him. And now, Seth Rollins has found himself in the same situation.
After all, it wasn't all that long ago that Rollins pulled the wool over everyone's eyes by faking a leg injury so he could make a dramatic in-ring return at this year's SummerSlam. His ingenuity netted him the WWE Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, ending CM Punk's brief championship stint.
So, when rumblings began that Rollins had injured his shoulder several months later, the initial impression was that he was working us all again. Unfortunately, this is a real injury, and one that could sideline Rollins for quite a long time.
For as big of a star as he is, Rollins has had a surprisingly long streak of injuries. Let's take a walk down memory lane to see how the former leader of The Vision manages to come back from damage again and again.
2025 shoulder injury
Of course, we have to start with Seth's most recent injury. Rollins suffered what was termed a "significant shoulder injury" in October at pretty much the worst possible time. He's been the biggest heel on Raw, and he wasn't doing it alone. Through his and Paul Heyman's collective genius, The Vision, consisting of Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, had finally begun gaining traction as a terrifying collective.
It seemed that The Vision had a bright future and that the group would end up building major main event stars in Breakker and Reed. Of course, like any stable in WWE, there would have been a natural end to the group, but that was estimated to be a ways off in 2026.
Instead, as a response to Rollins' injury, creative decided to push up the split as a way to write him off TV for a while. The breakup didn't make much sense from a storytelling perspective. That's not on creative or the stable themselves; they simply didn't have time to build dissension.
But wait, it gets worse. Rollins also had to vacate his hard-won WWE Championship. Those who were waiting for a satisfying match where CM Punk got his comeuppance will have to keep waiting.
2015 knee injury
If you're getting a sense of deja-vu right now, it's not unfounded. After all, Rollins has been forced to vacate his championships before. Let's rewind about a decade ago to 2015. In November of that year, while at an untelevised live event in Ireland, a sunset flip powerbomb injured Rollins, leading to damage in his medial meniscus, MCL, and ACL.
Rollins, who required surgery, had to give up his World Heavyweight Championship after 219 days. He was back for the next year's Money in the Bank, eventually unseating Roman Reigns to regain the World Heavyweight title.
If history repeats itself, then Rollins should have his sights set on the WWE Championship shortly after his return from his most recent shoulder injury.
2024 injury-related hiatuses
Of course, the Seth Rollins of 2025 has a decade longer in the squared circle than the one in 2015. The Architect has unsurprisingly been hampered with lingering side effects from past damage, which began coming to a head throughout 2024 and 2025.
At WrestleMania XL, Rollins pulled double duty, first fighting Roman Reigns and The Rock with Cody Rhodes at his side, and then a one-on-one against Drew McIntrye the next night. McIntyre ultimately claimed the World Heavyweight Championship, giving Rollins a much-needed break to get his meniscus surgically addressed. This was after he had already taken a short hiatus due to MCL pain.
Rollins missed only two months following his surgery, returning and competing until August, when he was again written off TV to deal with his ongoing pain. With his track record, it's clear why people believed his leg injury the following year was legit.
Although his luck has been especially poor when it comes to staying healthy, Rollins has always been able to pick up where he left off whenever he makes his in-ring returns. He's a commanding enough presence whether he's a face or heel that there's always room for him in the title picture. Surely, before we all know it, he'll be back on our screens on Monday nights.