John Cena's Injury, the Royal Rumble and More from the Game-Change Mailbag

John Cena's injury is stealing headlines and breaking hearts across the wrestling world. The high-profile injury will have ramifications on the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania 32 and the long-term future of WWE. So where does WWE go from here?

You Won't See Him?

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@ThisIsNasty With Cena's injury, what does WWE do with Rumble and Mania now?

— Patrick (@RatedPWF) January 7, 2016

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I never considered Cena a favorite to win the Royal Rumble but he likely would have participated. With the Royal Rumble being contested for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the title would look weak without Cena.

Still, the Rumble will be a star-studded affair. As fun as surprise appearances and comedy spots are in these matches, WWE needs to remember that its biggest prize will be on the line. Therefore, it is imperative that the field is loaded with an impressive class of top stars and future WWE Hall of Famers.

With Cena out, Brock Lesnar's presence in the Royal Rumble means even more. Perhaps The Undertaker will show up, and WWE will use it as a vehicle to set up his WrestleMania feud.

Cena's injury is not only a huge blow to the WrestleMania picture, but also to the first WWE Championship Royal Rumble match in over 20 years. WWE will need to rally around what's left of its roster to fill that void.

Hopefully Cena is still able to make an appearance at WrestleMania, possibly in a non-wrestling segment with The Rock. Given the historic nature of WrestleMania 32, it would be disheartening if Cena failed to appear at his first WrestleMania since becoming a top star in 2004.

Deadman Looking?

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@ThisIsNasty If Cenais out, whose facing taker at WrestleMania?

— Dylan Hines (@N00balishous) January 7, 2016

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There are a number of ways WWE can go with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar is always an option. Sure, their previous encounter was supposed to be their last, but finality is not a friend to the wrestling industry.

Stipulations for firings, retirements and "Once in a Lifetime" matches hardly ever hold up. And if The Rock is not available to wrestle, few wrestlers can create a big-match feel against Lesnar the way Undertaker can.

As intriguing as another Lesnar-Undertaker match would be at WrestleMania, WWE needs to seriously consider booking Bray Wyatt in that position. If Wyatt is truly going to be The New Face of Fear and the next supernatural character of a generation, he'll need a victory over Undertaker.

The fact that a 50-year-old Undertaker is 2-0 in matches against Wyatt casts quite the shadow over the talented upstart. Until Wyatt avenges at least one of those losses, he may never be able to live up to his otherwise vast potential.

Question of the Week: Nerd Rage III?

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@ThisIsNasty If Reigns wins the Rumble again, do you expect the same backlash?

— Derrick Jerrolds (@DerrickJerrolds) January 7, 2016"

If people think Roman Reigns' winning another Royal Rumble will cause outrage, wait until they see what happens when Triple H wins. I fully expect Triple H to return at the Rumble and steal the title away from Reigns. This will be an even more extreme version of what WWE did with Sheamus, as an enemy of the oft-insufferable Internet Wrestling Community made Reigns the hero by default.

Mel Evans/Associated Press

Reigns and Triple H are on an almost inevitable path to a WrestleMania match. But if Triple H was challenging Reigns for the championship, it would be quite awkward to have such a high-profile heel in a chasing position. The right way to go would be to once again stack the deck against Reigns to garner more fan support if and when he does regain the title.

The 2016 Royal Rumble will almost serve as a parody of the past two editions, with a very controversial winner. This time, however, WWE will welcome the outrage.

The Roman Screwjob?

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@ThisIsNasty One for the mailbag; Reigns wins or gets screwed @ the rumble; which is more predictable?

— James Coty (@JamesCoty1) January 5, 2016

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With Vince McMahon fully invested in the Royal Rumble storyline, Reigns' getting screwed is the most predictable outcome.

Should Reigns win the match, it would be counterintuitive. With a Reigns win, all the vulnerability that finally got him over as a top star—as part of an ongoing underdog story that WWE is working so hard to manufacture—will vanish. Expect McMahon to take it one step further and announce Reigns as entrant No. 1.

This is the 1999 Royal Rumble storyline all over again, when McMahon put a $100,000 bounty on Steve Austin's head. This time around, the bounty is the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and an on-air host for Bleacher Report. Like him on Facebook, and listen to a special PodNasty WWE Awards Spectacular.

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