Seth Rollins has been one of the big talking points in professional wrestling this week. Not because he put on another great match with Cody Rhodes, but because he was apparently injured during that match. As reports continue to come out, it looks as if Rollins is set to be off television after surgery, and WWE will have to go another direction at the top of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer talked about Seth Rollins, his initial plans heading into WrestleMania 42, and even the upcoming match at Saturday Night’s Main Event against CM Punk. According to Meltzer, Rollins is expected to have shoulder surgery “soon” and will miss several months to recover.
That situation immediately creates questions about what is set to happen surrounding the main event angles and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Punk picked up a big win to become the number one contender, but if Rollins is hurt long term, he doesn’t have a champion to face.
There are a couple of ways WWE could go in this matter. It the company wants to book a lazy tournament of several triple threat matches that all end with some type of interference, fans will know what to expect. The main event picture on Raw has some big names who can be involved. Think Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, LA Knight, throw in others like Logan Paul or someone else to pack things out.
WWE could also go straight to the point and position Breakker as the next top dog in the promotion. Since his arrival on the main roster, it has been clear that Breakker is a performer who WWE wants to position as the top star in the men’s division for years to come. Expectations were that he’d split from Rollins at some point in 2026, possibly holding the title by the time WrestleMania 42 comes around. Breakker doesn’t have to immediately defeat CM Punk, but that is a long-term build that could pay off in an interesting way in the months to come.
Seth Rollins has once again felt the injury bug cut into his momentum. As one of the most important workhorses on the WWE roster, Rollins has been in this position before. The attack he suffered by Breakker and Reed on the October 13 episode of WWE Raw will write him off television for a while, and he’ll return to massive support from fans. But in the meantime, WWE has to do something to keep the main event scene interesting, and there’s a big opportunity in front of the creative team.