WWE's Thin Roster Becoming Dangerously Thin for WrestleMania

In just 38 days, WWE will be hosting its annual WrestleMania mega event. The card has already formed with a stellar top of the card.

A year-long build of The Rock and John Cena will surely pay off. Chris Jericho's return in January solidified a feud with WWE champion CM Punk. The Undertaker attempts to win his 20th consecutive WrestleMania match, facing Triple H for the third time at the event, this time inside Hell in a Cell.

A dark match a year ago, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan are the Royal Rumble winner and world heavyweight champion, respectively.

Beyond that is anyone's guess.

It's thought that Cody Rhodes and Big Show are building toward a match for the Intercontinental Championship, but the idea of basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal coming to face Big Show just won't go away.

The mess of other stars believed to be in attendance that night makes for an unusual and unpredictable lower part of the WrestleMania card. For instance, Kane may not be on the card at all after not having a feud with anyone except John Cena and Zack Ryder.

Ryder is supposed to still be selling neck and back injuries, so Kane is in danger of not being on the supercard for the first time since WrestleMania 13, which was seven months before the Kane gimmick debuted.

There are tons of other superstars, from The Miz to Dolph Ziggler. Nothing has really been sustained with these guys because of their lack of competition. The amount of injured superstars in WWE right now is just incredible.

Alberto Del Rio, who was a WWE champion in 2011, suffered a groin injury in December and, while he made an appearance at Elimination Chamber, could still be injured until we see him in action. Until otherwise shown, consider Del Rio a no-go for WrestleMania.

Rey Mysterio, a rival of Del Rio's, was injured by the Mexican Aristocrat back in August. He showed his masked face at the Slammy Awards in December but has not appeared on TV since. Mysterio was believed to be a hope for WWE in its quest to break a Guinness World Record by having fans wear lucha libre masks. Without Mysterio at WrestleMania, that will have to be held until another time.

Sin Cara, also a masked superstar in WWE, has been injured since a horrible spill at Survivor Series. Sin Cara, however, isn't expected back until at least May. A similar fate is held by Layla. The Diva was injured nearly a year ago and needed surgery to repair both her ACL and MCL.

Prior to Sin Cara's injury was an injury for Christian. In November at a house show, Captain Charisma suffered a high ankle sprain. That would keep him out for several weeks, eventually leading to a seemingly healthy Christian at Elimination Chamber. However, without a follow-up sighting on SmackDown, you have to wonder if Christian's 38-year old body still needs time to heal.

Then, there are recent injuries for Randy Orton and Wade Barrett, two SmackDown guys that were in a feud with one another, yet were both injured on episodes of Raw in consecutive weeks.

Orton suffered a concussion, which has kept him sidelined to this point. His immediate future is still up in the air for now.

As for Wade Barrett, his injury in the main event of this past Raw, which I am coining as "The Battle Royale From Hell," was a partial dislocation of his left elbow. The recovery timetable is six to eight weeks, but speculation is that Barrett could will himself to WrestleMania anyway.

None of this even takes into account the storyline injuries or basic absences of superstars. Evan Bourne has been suspended for his wellness policy violation until the end of March. Despite the expectation that WWE would want to bury a two-time offender of the policy, will the company be forced to give him a good spot at WrestleMania?

What about Zack Ryder, the Internet sensation that was blamed for the dragging ratings late last year and into 2012? Ryder was relegated to a storyline with Eve, which was eventually absorbed into the John Cena/Kane fiasco. Does Ryder somehow overcome his neck and back injuries to fight The Big Red Monster in a few weeks?

There are just way too many injuries to talk about in WWE right now.

While some can complain about the all-time greats being brought in at a big venue for a payday, it isn't like the depth in the company is so impressive. In fact, it is downright scary to think about what WWE may have to throw together in order to fill the entire card.

Does it dare rehash an old rivalry, like the one between R-Truth and The Miz, just to give people something to do at WrestleMania? Does WWE satisfy the whispers of bringing the Money in the Bank ladder match to WrestleMania, where it was originally born? Do you reward guys like Hunico and Ted DiBiase, who have worked hard to create a storyline on TV every week, despite not having many fans who care what happens?

Not every WrestleMania will have a card filled with all-time great matchups. Eleven years ago at WrestleMania X-7, considered by many to be the greatest WrestleMania yet, can anyone recall the Tazz and APA vs. Right to Censor match? ...That's what I thought.

Still, even with the thought put into the top of the card and the year of build to Cena/Rock, seeing the bottom of the card so barren is upsetting.

Injuries happen, and it only creates newer opportunities for those in the right positions. Look at a guy like Hunico, who might not have a lot of publicity but does have a solid position on SmackDown. This would have never seemed possible a year ago, when all Hunico did was fly around the FCW arena in a lucha mask.

There may just be an unexpected star to come out of WrestleMania 28 due to these injuries.

Follow @RobertAitkenBR