WWE Might Have To Find A Rollins Replacement For WrestleMania

WWE could have a major problem on their hands. The emphasis on that, however, is “could.”

Seth Rollins was injured last week when Samoa Joe made his Raw debut, attacking Rollins and locking him into a submission. According to multiple reports, Rollins has a torn MCL in his knee.

That could put Rollins out of WrestleMania, and would be a huge blow to not only that show’s card, but also Rollins individually. Remember, Rollins had to miss WrestleMania last year after suffering a knee injury the previous fall.

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Plans were for Rollins to have a main-event level match against Triple H, and that match could still happen.

If it can’t WWE will be looking for some backup plans when it comes to Triple H. Clearly, he’ll be involved, but there might need to be some shuffling.

Here are some possibilities if Seth Rollins isn’t able to go at WrestleMania

1. Samoa Joe. Sure, this feels like a long shot given that the storyline right now is that Triple H brought Joe in to do his bidding. The original plan, I’m sure, was a Joe-Rollins match probably at Fastlane, to be followed by Rollins-Triple H at ‘Mania. But they could roll this into a story where somehow Joe and Triple H makes sense. I’d rather see them not go in this direction, however, because it would likely involve having to turn Joe babyface.

2. Finn Balor. Again, not sure there is a story there that makes sense, but if Balor is ready to go for WrestleMania, matching him against Triple H is certainly a top-level match.

3. Sami Zayn. Not as much of a premiere match, but there is a story to be told here with Zayn as a fighting underdog. Very similar to the Daniel Bryan story, I think they could tell a story here where Zayn is fighting for a chance, or perhaps even his job, against Triple H.

4. Shane McMahon. To me, this makes the most sense. Shane and Stephanie have been battling for most of the last year, so it would make sense that the heel Triple H is coming to fight for his woman against her brother. If Rollins can’t go, my money would be on a match with McMahon. Especially now that it’s apparent the planned Shane-Lesnar match is (thankfully!) not happening.

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1. Nia Jax beat Bayley

I really liked the booking of this match. You can argue that it doesn’t help Bayley losing before she challenges for the Raw Women’s Title, but this finish works where Bayley’s character is an underdog and Charlotte caused a distraction on the finish. It actually accomplished a lot, putting heat on Charlotte, giving sympathy on Bayley and keeping Jax strong as a monster heel in the division.

2. Braun Strowman beat TC Bonus, Dusty Wallace, James Stock & Rob Kelly

Good for what this was, I like that they’re keeping Strowman strong with squashes like this. I’m a fan of squash matches to get over talent, but I do think, if you’re not going to run them on a regular basis, you need to explain why they exist on your show.

3. Akira Tozawa beat Drew Gulak

Not really sure where WWE is going with these two. The match just felt like it was there, presented without any long-term vision. With that being said, Tozawa got a nice reaction so it makes sense for the debuting talent to go over here.

4. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson beat Sheamus & Cesaro via DQ in a Raw Tag Title Match

Enzo & Cass interfered to cause the DQ, and WWE seemed to be putting things in motion for a triple threat tag team match at either WrestleMania 33 or Fastlane. Or, they could go with the traditional 2-on-2 match, with Enzo & Cass challenging Anderson & Gallows.

5. New Day beat The Shining Stars

This was essentially a squash match. Given its placement on the show, right after the big tag-team angle, I wonder if they are going towards a fatal four way match and not a triple threat.

6. Chris Jericho beat Sami Zayn to retain the U.S. Title

Earlier in the show, they teased a rift between Owens and Jericho. I still believe that the plan is for Jericho vs. Owens at WrestleMania, but they were on the same page here.

7. TJ Perkins, Jack Gallgher & Cedric Alexander beat Tony Nese, Noam Dark and Neville

Good match. What I liked more was the promo by Austin Aries before the match. They setup a five-way match for 205 Live Tuesday night, and this made that match actually feel important and built up, rather than just something thrown together.

8. Samoa Joe beat Roman Reigns

They made one small mistake here with Samoa Joe, but it could be critical. Joe is a monster, and that’s how he has been portrayed in NXT. I didn’t like that they showed Reigns on the verge of winning the match before Braun Strowman interfered. It just goes to show you, again, that they are dead set on protecting and pushing Roman Reigns. He was more important than Samoa Joe, in this instance.

That being said, it’s hard to be upset, if you’re a Samoa Joe fan or just a fan of new talent, when someone like Joe comes into the company and gets a main-event level win like this so early in his run. That’s pretty damn good.