WWE Rumors on Naomi's Injury, Seth Rollins' Ruse and Asuka's Heel Turn on Raw

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE Reportedly Keeping Naomi's Status Under Wraps

Naomi did not compete in her scheduled Women's World Championship match against Iyo Sky on Monday night's episode of Raw because she was not medically cleared to do so.

WWE did not provide any details on Naomi's status beyond that, and it may have been by design.

According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Naomi was present backstage for Monday's Raw in Quebec City, and the reason for her match against Sky getting called off has been kept "quiet" from other people in the company, including wrestlers.

Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee) followed up by confirming that Naomi is dealing with a legitimate medical issue of some kind.

At Evolution last month, Naomi shocked the WWE Universe by successfully cashing in her Money in the Bank contract during a match between Sky and Rhea Ripley to become women's world champion.

Naomi then put the title on the line at SummerSlam against Sky and Ripley in a Triple Threat, and she successfully defended it, beating two of the top stars WWE has to offer.

She was scheduled to defend the title again in a one-on-one match against Sky on Raw with the winner going on to face No. 1 contender Stephanie Vaquer at Clash in Paris later this month.

However, with Naomi's health now very much in question, it is unclear if a match against Vaquer could be in jeopardy, and if it is, then it's fair to wonder if WWE may have to make a tough decision as it relates to the state of the Women's World Championship.

Some in WWE Reportedly Not Happy with Rollins Injury Work

WWE succeeded in shocking many fans at SummerSlam when Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and it reportedly took some people in the company by surprise too.

Weeks before SummerSlam, Rollins seemingly suffered a knee injury during a match against LA Knight on Saturday Night's Main Event.

Rollins went on record as saying he was hurt, and any time he was seen in public in the following weeks, his leg was in a walking boot, and he was using crutches.

It was all a ruse, though, as Rollins took off the boot, tossed the crutches aside and cashed in on Punk just minutes after he had beaten Gunther for the world title.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Mukherjee), WWE leaning into the Rollins knee injury work and acting like it was legitimate "left a very unhealthy flavor in the mouths of a lot of people who work behind the scenes for the company, as well as talents who are in-ring performers."

While it is perhaps understandable why people who care about Rollins' well-being may have been put off by being led to believe he suffered a serious injury, selling an injury angle takes a great deal of commitment and coordination.

Since the creation of the internet, pulling off any kind of work in wrestling has been difficult since most fans have insider reports at their fingertips at all times.

That, in turn, has taken away much of the magic that used to be a hallmark of professional wrestling.

With the Rollins injury angle, WWE aimed to bring back the old-school feeling of shock and awe, and although there were some reports out there that suggested the injury was a work, WWE seemingly still succeeded in surprising many who still weren't sure.

Doing that required everyone to be left in the dark aside from a small inner circle, which is simply the reality of how things need to be done in order to blur the lines between what's a work and what's a shoot.

WWE Reportedly Accelerating Asuka Heel Turn Angle

Naomi's absence from Monday night's episode of Raw reportedly prompted WWE to advance a storyline involving Asuka more quickly than originally intended.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t Mukherjee), Asuka's heel turn was supposed to be a "slow burn" over time, but WWE decided to speed it up when Naomi vs. Sky had to be called off.

With Naomi not medically cleared to compete, Sky had a match against Roxanne Perez instead. Asuka and Kairi Sane attempted to interfere on Sky's behalf, but Asuka's involvement ultimately led to Perez scoring the upset win.

Afterward, Sky and Asuka had a shouting match backstage, which led to Asuka pushing Sky and storming off, and Sane being left in a state of shock over the interaction between her two close friends.

While that segment was perhaps a big step toward Asuka turning heel, the altercation wasn't significant enough to suggest the transformation has fully taken place yet.

However, it clearly seems WWE is moving in that direction, meaning Asuka could become a full-fledged heel and rival of Iyo in the coming weeks.

It is unclear what that means for Sane, but if she remains aligned with her Kabuki Warriors teammate in Sane, it may open the door for Ripley to step up and provide some support to Sky given their recent "frenemies" story arc.