Cesaro's Injury Derails His Surging Momentum Toward the Top of WWE

Cesaro was a rocket ship with fire churning under him, awaiting WWE to finalize his launch skyward. But that flight is now delayed.

A torn rotator cuff sent an on-the-rise Superstar to the surgeon's table and then on a long road back to the ring. 

The King of Swing's popularity was snowballing. His in-ring performance was hitting an all-time level. It seemed inevitable he would be able to uppercut his way through the glass ceiling and move from midcarder to the marquee.

A tear in his shoulder had other ideas, though. Cesaro now joins a long list of injured wrestlers who are in danger of missing WrestleMania 32. About when he'll be back, Cesaro told WWE.com, "I think the official timeframe I was told was like four to six months, but that all depends on how surgery goes, how my rehab goes and so forth."

JP Yim/Getty Images

The timing of his injury hurts on two levels.

For one, WWE's most hyped stretch is on its way. After the holidays, the company begins to push toward WrestleMania with an increased creative effort. And with Seth Rollins and Randy Orton not able to compete at wrestling's version of the Super Bowl, there was an open spot available for someone such as Cesaro.

When WWE was mulling over options for a babyface to stand up to Triple H, Cesaro's name would have inevitably come up. 

There was a chance he would be pegged to have a standout performance at the Royal Rumble. There was a chance Cesaro would have been the guy WWE chose to pit against a WrestleMania guest star such as Chris Jericho.

Both those events have career-changing power. Both could potentially not be on Cesaro's schedule this year.

And just before Cesaro went under the knife, he was experiencing a career upswing. While critics doubted whether he is charismatic enough to engage the audience, the cheers for him were getting louder, the Cesaro Section was growing.

He was in the midst of a jaw-dropping run in the ring, too.

Cesaro and John Cena put on two instant classics on Raw with the United States Championship on the line. He thrilled against Rollins, Sheamus and Kevin Owens.

Against Roman Reigns in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament, he helped the eventual winner have one of his best efforts to date.

More than just putting on good matches, he was pulling out moves fans had yet to see. He made every clash an in-ring exhibition. There was an electricity to his offense that made it impossible to look away.

Fans were noticing. As Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats pointed out, Cesaro led a fan poll in regard to whom folks wanted to be the next WWE champion.

Screenshot from WWE.com, h/t Cageside Seats

Would Vince McMahon have listened to those fans? Would he have seen the increased number of signs with Cesaro's name on it or heard the volume of people saying "wow" when Cesaro was on the attack? That's not clear.

The shoulder injury changes the narrative.

Cesaro's story goes from one about him soaring toward a higher place on the card to one about reclaiming what was once his. He has to now work to regain his momentum.

His old tag team partner, Tyson Kidd believes he'll be better when he comes back:

That may be true, but he'll still have to regain his footing. WWE will have certainly showcased other talents in his absence. Owens and Dean Ambrose may have inspired their own thundering fanbase to where they take the spot that Cesaro was on his way to occupying.

But Kidd is likely right. Cesaro is the type of workout nut who will attack rehab with great intensity.

Motivated to make up for lost time, the Swiss Superman is sure to be supremely hungry throughout the process. Expect him to come back recharged and even more focused.

Cesaro's launch will resume. The countdown will just take longer than expected.