Triple H Will Be Key to WWE WrestleMania 32 with Roster Thinned by Injuries

As WWE constructs WrestleMania 32, Chief Operating Officer Triple H will be a fundamental part of the event's foundation. The Game is an anchored asset made more valuable by a list of torn ligaments.

Whatever grand plans WWE had for The Showcase of the Immortals have since had to be rethought and rearranged. Guest stars potentially headed to the pay-per-view are looking less likely to show up. And the company is having to counteract a loss of roster depth after a busy stretch for its surgeons.

Triple H is the all-pro waiting to be called into the game. He is an established star on a roster armed with uncertain prospects.

Seth Rollins headlines a group of injured wrestlers poised to miss WrestleMania 32.

A torn MCL and ACL pulled the then-WWE champion out of the ring. ESPN's Jonathan Coachman reported that Rollins will be on the shelf for six to nine months:

Dr. Steve Daquino told WWE.com that Randy Orton's myriad of shoulder injuries could keep him out of action for somewhere between four and six months. Cesaro underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Daniel Bryan has not yet been cleared to compete after a concussion in April.

That's a total of three former world champions who WWE is not able to plug into the WrestleMania card.

The part-time saviors may not be riding in come The Show of Show's time either. There have been a good number of rumblings about either Batista or The Rock coming back, but both are far from a guarantee.

As Entertainment Weekly noted, The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is set to start filming in February. That will tie up Batista in the heart of WrestleMania season, and depending on how long shooting lasts, it may make him unavailable at the PPV itself.

Jon Furniss/Associated Press

The Rock is constantly busy with movie and TV projects himself. The Wrestling Observer (h/t Wrestle Zone) reported that WWE was told that he wouldn't be unable to wrestle at wrestling's biggest event.

Jim Ross summed up the situation with other potential part-timers appearing. On his blog, he wrote "Austin and HBK are adamant that their wrestling days are history, Hogan is still on the outs with the company plus he doesn't need to wrestle a match with his back condition and Rock has movie commitments I'm told as does Ronda Rousey."

That leaves Triple H as one of the special attractions that WWE can lean on.

The bonus with him over even guys like Brock Lesnar and Undertaker is that he is a continuous part of the WWE's universe. Bringing in other talent often makes for disjointed storytelling at times. Triple H—on the other hand—is ever present as an authority figure.

He plays the role that Vince McMahon once did—the corporate tyrant standing in the way of WWE's babyfaces.

That makes it easier to dive into a story with him than it would with a returning Batista. It allows WWE to start planting seeds early and get a head start on building toward his WrestleMania bout.

For now, it looks as if WWE is doing just that with him and Roman Reigns.

It was The Game who tried to woo Reigns to The Authority during the WWE title tournament. It was Triple H who ordered the hit on Reigns at Survivor Series, sicking Sheamus on the worn-down champion.

And it's been the COO who has been positioned as Reigns' ultimate obstacle.

Going with Reigns vs. Triple H at WrestleMania allows the emerging star to have the biggest match of his career. It's one that has the power to elevate him—to have him go toe-to-toe with a future Hall of Famer. Beating Triple H was Daniel Bryan's apex. Reigns could follow that same route.

As WWE continues to try and make Reigns the next top dog, it has to realize that having him knock off Triple H would be huge in that process.

Credit: WWE.com

Booking a reprisal of Bryan's upending of The Authority but with Reigns in the role of the rebel opens things up for WWE too. Rather than have John Cena face Reigns, Cena is free to have a dream match with Undertaker.

Whether WWE moves forward with that match or moves Triple H onto a new opponent, the company has a top-level star at its disposal.

Having such a storied career to this point and being a name even lapsed fans recognize makes several potential bouts a main event in the making.

Dean Ambrose could play the antihero trying to oust The Authority. Dolph Ziggler against most of the WWE roster feels like a midcard bout, but going up against Triple H is a marquee contest.

Daily DDT's Rob Wolkenbrod suggested that Bray Wyatt take on Triple H:

All of those options are appealing. All of them better WrestleMania.

WWE can't be sure that it can shift around The Rock on the card in the same way. He may not be playing the cavalry this year. And the company knows for certain that Rollins and Orton will be rehabbing—not performing—leading up to WrestleMania 32.

And so Triple H's value explodes.

The Game is set to be a pillar of a WrestleMania that needs to be big enough to fill the massive AT&T Stadium. He is the headliner in WWE's holster.