A major singles match is now locked in for WrestleMania 42, as Seth Rollins is set to face Bron Breakker. WWE is reportedly operating under the assumption that Rollins will be medically cleared in time for the event, allowing the long-brewing storyline to culminate on the company’s biggest stage.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the masked attack on Breakker during the Royal Rumble was specifically designed to set this match in motion. At the start of the Rumble, Breakker was blindsided by a masked individual who delivered a curb stomp on the floor, moments before Oba Femi eliminated him from the match.
“As it turned out, Breakker was attacked at the start of the Rumble by a masked man who gave him a curb stomp on the floor and set up Oba Femi throwing Breakker out,” Meltzer reported. “The identity of the masked man was supposed to make everyone think it was Rollins. Right now the belief is Rollins will be ready for Mania and face Breakker in a singles match.”
The feud blends storyline and reality. In WWE canon, Breakker was credited with injuring Rollins as part of the angle. In real life, Rollins suffered a legitimate torn rotator cuff, which necessitated his removal from television. The injury occurred during a Champion vs. Champion match against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel in Perth on October 11, following a bad landing on a coast-to-coast headbutt spot.
Meltzer further confirmed that the Rollins vs. Breakker bout is firmly penciled in for WrestleMania.
“That match has been confirmed to be on the schedule for the show,” Meltzer stated.
While the masked attacker was intended to strongly suggest Rollins from a storyline perspective, the actual identity of the individual who performed the stomp remains unclear. Meltzer cautioned that the person under the hood during the angle may not ultimately be revealed as the attacker on screen.
“It is not clear who was under the mask actually doing the stomp and there is no reason that person would be the one revealed when the time comes,” Meltzer wrote. “Most of the talk was Grayson Waller under the mask, a name neither confirmed nor denied. Waller was in Saudi Arabia the entire week but wasn’t on SmackDown nor on the main card, but was booked for a dark match.”
If Rollins is indeed cleared in time, the WrestleMania 42 showdown would mark his return from injury and close the loop on a storyline that has been months in the making—one that blurs the line between real-life setbacks and WWE’s long-term creative planning.
