“If you do this for any length of time, you’re going to need surgery” -Jerry Lynn
That was what former ECW champion, Jerry Lynn told me via phone when I talked to him for an article in 2019 just two weeks after his second hip replacement surgery, a procedure required after he spent more than two decades using the top rope leg drop as a signature move in every major organization of his era.
However, the nearly half a dozen surgeries that Lynn had by that point, which was before the launch of All Elite Wrestling where Lynn currently works as a producer backstage, weren’t a surprise for him. From the first day that he pursued a path to be a pro wrestler, his trainer, Brad Rhenigans, two-time Olympic amateur, and a Pan American gold medalist before his own notable career in the pro ranks, told a group of hopefuls that any significant time spent in the professional wrestling industry would require surgery at some point.
So, Lynn’s list of injuries isn’t a surprise or uncommon, and neither are the numerous injuries that can happen at anytime in the pro wrestling business, it’s simply an occupational hazard.
That’s also why Seth Rollins’ scary knee injury during last weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast wasn’t all that shocking either. It can happen to anyone at anytime, and unfortunately, as the style continues to evolve to a more high risk presentation, injuries are more common in the past.
That being said, it doesn’t make the timing of Rollins’ injury any less devastating, as he was on the cusp of finally being elevated to the same top-tier level of names like Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns.
Make no mistake about it, Rollins is one of the best athletes in the entire business today and one of the best workers anywhere. The way he was scripted over the past 5-6 years minimized his star power as either a whiny baby face or a goofy heel that was too silly to take serious as a money-drawing star. The alignment with Paul Heyman at Wrestlemania put Rollins in the right light as a top guy, He wasn’t second fiddle to Roman Reigns in The Shield, he was the leader of a faction with the best talker in the business and two young monsters to work in the role as the muscle of the stable. He wasn’t a whiny baby face booked to work in the title picture of the drek that Vince McMahon scripted in the latter stage of his tenure in the company.
Keep in mind, there was a point in time that Rollins’ song was more over than he was, which says a lot more about the way he was booked, not his talented. In fact, he’s too talented for the bulk of his act to be based on his entrance music.
Unfortunately, injuries aren’t anything new for Seth, as he suffered a similar knee injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, and meniscus nearly a decade ago in a match against Kane. He was forced to vacate the WWE title at the time, and was one the shelf for six months. He had other knee injuries over the years, including an MCL injury that kept him on the sidelines for a few months early last year. He also had previous neck issues as well.
The domino effect of the current knee injury, which prompted a quick finish to his match with LA Knight, could’ve already had a tremendous impact on the direction of the WWE product. There was some speculation that maybe Bill Goldberg would’ve won his final match before Seth cashed in the MITB contract or perhaps he would’ve cashed in mid-match to make it a triple threat match, similar to the conclusion of the Evolution pay-per-view the following day. At least on the surface, there appears to be some merit to the notion, as it just doesn’t seem like the original plan would’ve been to put a hobbled Goldberg in the ring for 15 minutes, which was the longest segment that he had since his initial comeback in 2016. Furthermore, it was somewhat of a disappointment to see the aging legend get choked out in his final match in his hometown.
It goes without saying that WWE brass had major plans for Rollins, given the alignment with Heyman and then the MITB win for the contract so it’s fair to say that while the plans obviously weren’t public, management probably had to re-write the majority of the main event scene after Rollins got hurt last weekend. I think the results of Raw, which saw CM Punk win the number one contendership to changeling Gunther for the championship, were another indication that the office had to call an audible. Don’t get me wrong, Punk vs. Gunther should be a very entertaining match at Summer Slam, but was this really the original plan? CM Punk just lost in a title match against John Cena last month, is he really in the position to have the momentum to be seen as a credible challenger for Gunther? That’s not to take away from Punk’s star power, but rather to point out that he wasn’t build up for this bout so it seems like he was used as a patch, not as a pushed challenger.
Of course, as much as the office had to call an audible as to what to do next, this opens the door for different possibilities down the road when Rollins is healthy again. It definitely would be a memorable moment if Rollins unexpectedly cashes in to win the title upon his return next year.
But, would that be the right move?
At 39. Seth Rollins still has several years of his prime left, but at the same time, he started wrestling at a very young age and has a lot of miles on his body. Rollins is a work horse for the WWE and has earned his stripes as one of the guys that they know they can count on as far as bell-to-bell quality and a level of star power. That being said, at this point, Rollins should either be considered injury prone or at the very least, his history of injuries should be taken into account when the office decides how much stock they should put into him at any given time.
I’m not saying that Seth shouldn’t be used in the main event scene again, I’m just saying that it should at least be a concern for management about if they should invest the TV time and promotional dollars into another long-term Rollins push. Finn Balor got injured in the match that he won the championship in 2016, vacated the title the next night, and never reached that level in the company again.
There was some speculation online that the injury might be a work, but I really doubt that. The office acknowledged the injury outside of WWE programming, and Seth mentioned it during some recent interviews in the days after Saturday Night’s Main event so if he wasn’t actually hurt, it would be considered very sleazy. That’s not to say that professional wrestling is above sleazy promotional tactics, but injuries probably aren’t something they are going to try to work with an angle because it would create doubt about legitimate injuries in the future.
Considering that Punk doesn’t have a lot of momentum as a title challenger right now, I’d guess that Rollins would’ve had major involvement in the title picture for Summer Slam, While injuries can happen at any time, it’s devastating that it happened at this point in Rollins’ career. The biggest takeaway from this situation should probably be that the level of risk performers take should be measured because an injury can completely change a career path for the talent on the roster.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
