WWE Rumors: Buzz on Road to WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 for Week of January 30

It's post-Royal Rumble week in WWE, and business has finally picked up.

Samoa Joe debuted on Raw, and WWE played its hand perfectly. Joe is the brutal muscle-for-hire of Triple H, a role that suits him well.

SmackDown, meanwhile, hit its highest rating since its live re-debut, per Mitch Metcalf of Showbuzz Daily (h/t Jeremy Thomas of 411Mania), and continues to push its new stars. This past Tuesday, both Baron Corbin and Naomi were featured front and center. On a week-to-week basis, SmackDown is the best of all WWE programming, including NXT.

A couple of hitches, however, threaten to derail momentum on the Road to WrestleMania. Here are the latest rumors in WWE.

Seth Rollins' Knee Is Legitimately Injured

After Raw, there were reports of Seth Rollins being helped backstage by WWE officials. This was understandable; one doesn't simply walk away from a Samoa Joe beatdown.

But then rumors circulated that Rollins was legitimately injured and had damaged his surgically repaired knee during the scuffle.

WWE announced on its website that Rollins sustained a knee injury, but fans were still skeptical that it was an injury angle. But based on subsequent reports, the injury has been confirmed as real.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com confirmed that Rollins was in Birmingham, Alabama, for tests. Rollins posted his wrapped knee on Twitter. Early Wednesday evening, Rollins posted a heartfelt message, thanking his fans for their support. Thursday morning, Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats) reported that Rollins has a torn MCL and could be out for eight weeks.

This throws the entire feud between Rollins and Triple H into a tailspin. WWE will need to plan out alternative scenarios if the doctors come back with bad news. It just goes to show that no plans, not even WrestleMania plans, are set in stone.

This is devastating for Rollins; he seems to get injured at the most inopportune times.

Rusev's Nose Is Legitimately Broken

On the Raw before Royal Rumble, fans might have noticed Rusev holding his nose after taking a crossbody from Kofi Kingston. Later in the match, Rusev continued fighting with a tissue stuffed in his nostril.

Then, at Sunday's Rumble and Monday's post-Rumble Raw, Rusev came to the ring wearing a protective facemask. Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats reported that the injury is legitimate; Kingston broke Rusev's nose during the pre-Rumble spot.

The last time Rusev was legitimately injured, he suffered a broken foot but still managed to work through much of it by talking more than fighting. It appears that The Bulgarian Brute will be working through this injury as well.

John Cena Will Have a Tag Match at WrestleMania

John Cena is now a 16-time world champion, and he'll likely break Ric Flair's record by the end of 2017. When he does, WWE will probably throw Cena a celebration fit for the gods—confetti, fireworks and video packages galore. But for WrestleMania 33, Cena might be taking a back seat to the festivities.

Ortman reported that the current plan for Cena is to team up with Nikki Bella to fight The Miz and Maryse. This will probably be Bella's last match, given her neck problems.

It seems more like a showcase than a legitimate showdown. Perhaps Cena is laying low so that other Superstars can have the spotlight? Still, one has to feel bad for The Miz. He had a banner year and does not deserve to close the season out with this sort of non-feud.

Sasha Banks Is Turning Heel

Backstage on this week's Raw, Bayley tried to talk an injured Sasha Banks out of fighting Nia Jax. And Banks, for the first time in a long time, cut a heelish promo on Bayley, saying, "Unlike some people, I am not OK with coming up short."

The two women have been working a BFF angle for a while, so this outburst came as a bit of a shock. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Nick Paglino of WrestleZone) reported that Banks is foreshadowing a heel turn, which should be coming sooner rather than later.

If this is true, The Boss' fans are going to be happy. Banks as a face? Fairly predictable. Banks as a heel? So mean that she makes little girls cry.

This turn can't come soon enough.