
Seth Rollins' Injury, Roman Reigns, the Rock and More from the Torn Mailbag
Since we last spoke, Seth Rollins went down with an injury. From there, the questions came flooding in like WWE title contenders in London. So who's next?
A New Face (or Heel) of WWE?
"@ThisIsNasty do you think that Rollin's injury actually creates intrigue for the WWE & its future. So many directions they can go with this!
— Austin Gann (@Austin_Gann) November 5, 2015"
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Rollins' injury certainly creates short-term intrigue for WWE in a time of historically low ratings. But the onus is on WWE to use this momentum to build a new stable of top stars.
It's encouraging to see WWE's tournament filled with stars of today. Eleven out of the 16 entrants have never won a world championship, and the oldest entrant—Big Show—was bounced out in the first round.
Throughout Rollins' long-term injury, WWE needs to establish a clear direction coming out of this tournament. Will it go with the next great heel who will be chased by up-and-coming babyfaces? Or is now the time for Roman Reigns to finally supplant John Cena as WWE's poster boy?
As devastating as Rollins' injury is, this creates a much-needed sense of urgency for WWE to shore up a young roster that has been transitional for far too long.
By the time Rollins comes back, he'll bring with him a lot of momentum, likely as a top babyface. By then, hopefully, WWE will have several complete characters for him to feud with.
Seth into the Good Side?
"@ThisIsNasty I think it's safe to say in 9 months Rollins comes back as the top babyface. Yes - No?
— SHOOTING FromThe LIP (@TheShootingLip) November 5, 2015"
It's hard to imagine a scenario where Rollins doesn't return as a top babyface. He'll have fan sympathy on his side for suffering such a gruesome injury, especially one that forced him to drop a world championship he never lost.
WWE could follow the Triple H formula from 2001 by making a big deal out of his rehabilitation and eventual return. But that model is like the rotary phone compared to the resources WWE has today.
With the WWE Network and an overwhelming presence on social media, there is no reason WWE shouldn't make Rollins' impending return as big a deal as possible. Original specials on the WWE Network, constant updates on his progress through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and featured vignettes on Raw could all make Rollins' return seem as big as Michael Jordan's comeback in 1995.
Rollins is set to miss six to nine months. Considering the fact he tore his ACL, MCL and medial meniscus, WWE may err on the side of nine months. Rollins' return should come during the summer of 2016, where WWE ratings go to die.
Rollins' return with a fresh babyface character and a built-in storyline against The Authority would make for WWE's most interesting summer in years.
Celtic Cash-in?
"@ThisIsNasty Is now the right time for Sheamus to cash in?
— Erik Benson (@dabenson8r) November 5, 2015"
Sheamus remains ice cold, and his first-round exit from the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament further hurt his cause. I don't know which WWE official came up with the concept of booking the Money in the Bank holder to enter an almost obligatory losing streak, but it doesn't work.
Even if Sheamus did cash in the briefcase at Survivor Series, he'd be doing it just to do it. There is zero momentum for a Sheamus world championship run. In fact, I'm more interested in a potential tag team championship bid alongside the charismatic Bad News Barrett.
If WWE has any interest in making Sheamus a real threat to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, he needs to be booked as an effective monster heel who can strike at any moment.
The Rock and Wrestling?
"@ThisIsNasty If they're considering using the Rock at Mania, I'd rather see him against Roman, not HHH. Thoughts?
— Peter Tsokas (@itstsokastime) November 9, 2015"
It doesn't look like The Rock will be competing in a match at WrestleMania 32. For whatever it's worth, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc) noted that insurance issues with The Rock while filming in 2016 will prevent him from wrestling a full-blown match.
If he was somehow cleared, however, neither Reigns nor Triple H would be the best option for WrestleMania 32. The Rock vs. Roman Reigns would feel forced unless Reigns quickly became a top heel, which I don't see happening anytime soon.
If Rock was to wrestle, the ideal opponent to help fill up a 100,000-seat stadium would be Brock Lesnar. Sure, he has had near-playful exchanges with Triple H a few times in the past year or so, but Rock-Brock is one of the few matches in WWE's arsenal that would draw at biblical levels.
Turning Shield?
"@ThisIsNasty who is more likely to turn heel at Survivor Series: Reigns or Ambrose?
— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_FOX6) November 5, 2015"
A Roman Reigns heel turn would not only be giving into a vocal minority WWE has no business listening to, but it would make absolutely no sense.
Reigns turned down Triple H's offer to simply sit back and wait for a new champion to be crowned. Instead, he decided to enter a tournament and potentially go through four opponents to win that prize. If he turns heel at Survivor Series after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it would make no sense that he didn't simply take Triple H's offer to begin with.
The only way WWE can turn logically turn Reigns heel is to do so apart from a world title win. For example, Reigns could snap after a loss to Cesaro in the quarterfinals. Still, too much has been invested in Reigns as a potential replacement for Cena, and it's beginning to work.
WWE simply needs to stay the course as there are already too many heels on the roster.
Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty, and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.



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