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Sometimes WWE books WrestleMania matches months in advance. Often it does not, and there’s something to be said by waiting until the Showcase of the Immortals draws a bit closer. One advantage? If injuries strike, WWE doesn’t have to switch gears on the fly.
There’s also the need to let events like Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, which are often key to finalizing some prominent WrestleMania matches, play out. But even when it seems clear WWE is headed in a particular direction, holding off on announcing even a highly anticipated match can be the cautious course of action in case something unfortunate happens.
This is relevant now because of what’s befallen World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Though the path to getting there wasn’t entirely clear, it’s looked for all the world that Rollins was being positioned for a dream match against CM Punk at WrestleMania 40. It’s one of the reasons Punk is the betting favorite to win the Royal Rumble, which would set their big money showdown — and potential Mania main event for one of its two nights — in straightforward fashion.
That would be a no brainer except that Rollins appeared to injure his knee while defending his title against Jinder Mahal earlier this week on Raw. He was reportedly helped to the back and was taken off house shows where he was advertised over the past few days, replaced by Randy Orton.
While Rollins seems to have avoided the big fear of an ACL tear, Fightful Select (subscription required) cited source saying he instead tore his MCL and partially tore his meniscus. His path to recovery, as well as how WWE will address it on TV, is unclear.
However, it is not known as of yet if he’ll require surgery, though the hope is that he can avoid it. We also aren’t sure how WWE will play things on television, or if the injury will be downplayed or embellished.
It’s possible to recover from a torn MCL through physical therapy depending on the severity of the injury. Part of Rollins’ personal narrative as champion has been a willingness to battle through physical adversity, usually framed around ongoing issues with his back.
So maybe Rollins sports a knee brace for the next few months, guts his way to WrestleMania and faces Punk coming off a Royal Rumble victory. Or perhaps he needs surgery and WWE is forced to create a different path for Punk.
Either way, by not announcing or even doing more than hinting at a Punk-Rollins WrestleMania meeting, WWE has bought itself some time to figure out what Rollins can handle and if he can still play a big role at WrestleMania. That’s just good business, even under less than ideal circumstances.
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