4 things Seth Rollins can say on RAW when he updates the WWE Universe
On the latest WWE SmackDown, it was advertised that Seth Rollins would appear on the upcoming WWE RAW to address his current injury situation. During his title defense against Jinder Mahal, Rollins reportedly suffered a knee injury. He was able to make it to the back but underwent tests following the injury.
With WWE on The Road to WrestleMania, Seth Rollins' status is extremely important. He is the top star on WWE RAW and the workhorse top champion of WWE. Since Roman Reigns defends his title once every few months and doesn't appear weekly, Rollins' role is even more vital to WWE.
Since it's known that he has an injury, what will Seth Rollins say as he updates the WWE Universe? The World Heavyweight Champion could say the following four things when he addresses the WWE Universe on RAW.
#4 He's hurt and will keep the title but not wrestle as much
One report mentioned that Seth Rollins did not tear his ACL but did possibly tear his meniscus and MCL. An ACL injury usually keeps an athlete out of action for nearly a year. It's the injury that Charlotte Flair sustained in December of 2023.
Roman Reigns is not hurt but takes time off between title defenses. If this is the case with Seth Rollins' injury, then he could be afforded the same luxury. He can still appear and cut promos on RAW.
The Visionary has never been in a booked main event at The Show of Shows, so if his injury lets him wrestle at WrestleMania 40, then things can stay in a holding pattern until that time.
#3 An interim championship situation?
One thing AEW has done frequently is institute an interim championship when any of its major title holders sustain an injury and are unable to perform. Toni Storm and Jon Moxley both carried the interim moniker when Jamie Hayter and CM Punk were injured while champion.
WWE hasn't traditionally done this, instead opting to crown a new champion. With the UFC merger, however, that might be an option to explore. The UFC regularly had interim champion situations and that has led to great pairings for PPVs when the original champion was healthy again.
There are plenty of title-worthy stars on WWE RAW and WWE SmackDown (Cody Rhodes, Punk, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Sami Zayn, Gunther), so another champion could be crowned. It could also create a champ vs. interim champ situation for WrestleMania, with the Royal Rumble winner potentially factoring into the situation.
#2 Seth Rollins has to vacate his title
The worst possible outcome for Seth Rollins would be vacating the title. He has worked extremely hard to give the WWE Universe a full-time major champion. Having to relinquish the title due to injury would be a disappointing end to such a promising title run.
Rollins has already vacated a major WWE title after he suffered a knee injury in November 2015. It changed the perception of his character when he came back, but he probably doesn't want history to repeat itself.
The only positive of vacating a title is that the champion can claim they never lost their title. It also sets up an immediate program for when the injured star returns to action.
#1 Rollins says he's injured but will still fight
Many pro athletes fight through injuries. The injuries may not be severe, and sometimes, it's determined that continuing may not do any further damage. With his injury and title history, Rollins would certainly operate this way.
He could come out and say that despite being hurt, he's wrestled as champion with a litany of injuries. The status of his back was used in his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura. The segment may also present an opportunity to write him off of TV for a few weeks.
Rollins also won't have to relinquish a title again, and could declare that nothing will stop him from main-eventing WrestleMania. That fiery outlook could also be worked into a potential loss at The Show of Shows.