How Seth Rollins Getting Injured Reportedly Altered Major WWE Creative Plans

Seth Rollins is reportedly heading to the shelf for the foreseeable future, and WWE's creative plans are taking a hit as a result of it.

Rollins was seemingly injured during his match on Saturday against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel, hurting his shoulder at some point in the bout.

While the 39-year-old has faked injuries in the past, including earlier this year, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reported on Tuesday that this one was said to be legitimate. He noted that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion was believed to be undergoing shoulder surgery imminently, and would be out for at least several months.

As a result, Meltzer says WWE's creative plans rolling up to WrestleMania may be in for a major overhaul.

Last week, The Takedown on SI discussed how there were several versions of the upcoming Men's War Games match for WWE Survivor Series on the table, and all of them revolved around the Rollins-led group, The Vision, anchoring the heel side of the equation. That included even potentially adding a returning Austin Theory to the stable, who previously worked with Rollins during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meltzer reported Tuesday that Rollins' injury prospects necessitated the WWE creative team to pull an early trigger on Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, and Paul Heyman turning on the world champion, with the angle going down on Raw to write Rollins off TV.

The World Title Picture And Beyond

In addition to the big angle with Breakker, Reed, and Heyman on Raw, CM Punk was also crowned the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Meltzer explained on Tuesday that the plan was for Punk and Rollins to main event the Nov. 1 Saturday Night's Main Event special in Utah with the belt on the line.

The match would have eventually led to the Men's War Games match at Survivor Series, with Rollins serving as the heel team captain in the cage. It is unclear when Punk will get his world title shot at this time.

MORE: 3 Possible Reasons Why Bron Breakker And ‘The Vision’ Turned On Seth Rollins

Meltzer also explained in his report that, while not cemented in stone, WWE creative was working under the impression that a Rollins vs. Roman Reigns match would be one of the main events for WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

It would be a return match of sorts, as Rollins defeated Reigns and Punk at WrestleMania 41 earlier this year at Allegiant Stadium. It was in that match that Heyman officially aligned with Rollins, and The Vision was formed shortly thereafter.

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