Seth Rollins in Danger of Losing Major Momentum in WWE After Latest Knee Injury

After hobbling out of the arena following Monday's WWE Raw on an injured knee, Seth Rollins may have to start the "redesign, rebuild, reclaim" process all over again.

For the second year in a row, the former WWE champ could be forced to watch WrestleMania from the sidelines. He is poised to spend his days in physical therapy, as other stars look to make their mark in his absence.

And after climbing back onto WWE's top rungs in 2016, Rollins may have a Sisyphean journey ahead.

News broke Wednesday that Rollins suffered an injury to the same knee that he shredded in November 2015. WWE.com's James Wortman wrote, "Rollins' right knee was re-injured during Samoa Joe's ambush at the conclusion of this Monday's Raw."

Unfortunately, this isn't part of a storyline to make the debuting Joe look big and bad.

Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported, "Multiple sources tell us his status for WrestleMania 33 is currently up in the air. Mike Johnson noted for PWInsider.com, "Rollins is currently down in Birmingham, Alabama, being examined, so the injury is legitimate." 

The Architect himself commented on the situation:

Before Rollins tore his ACL and MCL in late 2015, he was on an impressive run. As WWE champion, he thrived against a variety of foes, from John Cena to former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart of all people.

In the ring, Rollins mesmerized with one excellent match after another. He was arguably the company's top performer between the ropes when his knee buckled and was forced to relinquish the WWE Championship.

The injury kept Rollins from performing at WrestleMania 32. 

In his absence, WWE replaced him on the marquee with other stars on the rise. AJ Styles arrived from New Japan Pro Wrestling, quickly establishing himself as WWE's new No. 1 in-ring artiste. Rollins' former allies from The Shield, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, both served as headliners at various pay-per-views.

Rollins rehabbed like a beast to get back, as seen on the WWE 24 special about his road to recovery:

He made "redesign, rebuild, reclaim" his mantra. The driven star outpaced his timetable to return and emerged on the WWE scene in May 2016.

It took awhile before Rollins looked like himself. 

He didn't produce great matches at the same rate. WWE struggled with how to present his babyface character. Rollins' feud with Kevin Owens simply didn't click.

But change was on the way.

His long-awaited war with Triple H was finally progressing. Rollins looked revitalized as a desperate, furious man obsessed with revenge, and WWE was clearly setting the table for a Rollins-Triple H showdown at WrestleMania.

Monday's Raw welcomed Samoa Joe to both the main roster and this storyline. The powerhouse debuted as The Game's monster on a leash. Suddenly, the Rollins-Triple H narrative got mighty interesting. 

Rollins now had battles with the former NXT star and a major WrestleMania match ahead of him. A resurgence awaited. That's all in jeopardy now.

If The Architect's injury is major, he'll miss another WrestleMania, unable to cash in on a chance to elevate his legacy.

And while Rollins recovers again, WWE will have to turn to other Superstars. A returning Finn Balor, the monstrous Braun Strowman or the never-say-die underdog Sami Zayn will have an opportunity to take over where Rollins stood. 

WWE doesn't save your spot on center stage. It slides someone new into it.

More torn ligaments would keep Rollins out of action at the most significant part of the WWE calendar. Additional surgeries could slow down the athletic dynamo. Higher-ups may also lose confidence in leaning on Rollins in a high-profile position.

If he appears snakebitten, WWE may wish to invest more heavily in someone else.

Monday's injury will reroute the wrestler's path once more. Rather than bask in the spotlight at WrestleMania, Rollins will have to work like hell in the lonely world of rehab.