Riddle vs. Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam Postponed After Riddle Injured on Raw
July 27, 2022
WWE announced Wednesday that the scheduled match between Seth Rollins and Riddle at Saturday's SummerSlam pay-per-view has been postponed because of an injury suffered by Riddle.
Kayla Braxton said on Wednesday's episode of WWE's The Bump that Riddle suffered a brachial plexus injury, or stinger, due to Rollins' attack on Raw, meaning he is medically disqualified and will not be able to compete at SummerSlam:
WWE @WWEBREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/WWERollins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWERollins</a> injured <a href="https://twitter.com/SuperKingofBros?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SuperKingofBros</a> with a vicious attack on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWERaw?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWERaw</a> that resulted in a brachial plexus injury (a stinger). Riddle is medically disqualified until full strength returns.<br><br>Due to this injury, Riddle vs. Rollins at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerSlam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SummerSlam</a> has been postponed. <a href="https://t.co/JYauGAXuAN">pic.twitter.com/JYauGAXuAN</a>
WWE has yet to announce if Rollins will be given a replacement opponent or if he is off the card as well.
Rollins seems to believe he won't be competing at SummerSlam, though, as he tweeted an apology to fans who purchased tickets hoping to see him wrestle at the event:
Seth “NEW YORKIN” Rollins @WWERollinsFor anyone who purchased a ticket to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SummerSlam?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SummerSlam</a> hoping to see me in action, I apologize. I did everything I could over the last 6 months to earn my spot on this show, but some things are out of my control. Thank you for always singing my song. They’ll hear ya someday.
Over the past several weeks, Riddle and Rollins have been at each other's throats, exchanging attacks and attempting to one-up each other.
After taking out Riddle during last week's Raw on The KO Show, Rollins struck again on Monday's episode of Raw, taking out Riddle after he and The Street Profits lost a six-man tag team match to The Bloodline.
Rollins hit Riddle with a vicious stomp on the steel stairs, seemingly leaving him unconscious as Raw went off the air.
Although the legitimacy of an injury can never be ruled out, it seems as though Riddle's injury is an angle meant to further his rivalry with Rollins and potentially set up a different match for Rollins at SummerSlam.
At WrestleMania 38 in April, Rollins didn't know who his opponent would be going in, and he didn't find out until just before the match that the returning Cody Rhodes would be the one to contest him.
Doing something similar with Rollins at SummerSlam would be a great treat for fans, as it could be a vehicle for a return or debut.
Randy Orton would make sense as a potential replacement since he is Riddle's tag team partner. It would also be a surprise because The Viper has been on the shelf with a back injury.
Now that Triple H has replaced Vince McMahon as WWE's head of creative, non-traditional wrestlers might be more open to giving the WWE main roster a shot, which could pave the way for someone like Johnny Gargano.
Triple H booked Gargano like a top star in NXT, and while he is currently a free agent, Triple H's status as the booker may be enough to convince Johnny Wrestling to re-sign with WWE and have a barnburner with Rollins.
Perhaps the most exciting possibility would be the return of Bray Wyatt, who has not appeared for any wrestling company since WWE released him one year ago.
Rollins and Wyatt have a ton of history, including a much-maligned Hell in a Cell match, but they could make that blunder a distant memory with a great match at SummerSlam.
Regardless of what direction WWE decides to go in, Riddle's absence adds a bit of intrigue to the highly anticipated event.
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