This weekend’s inaugural two-night SummerSlam will feature title defenses for both of WWE’s top men’s championships, but the status of one superstar casts a shadow over the entire event.
The main events are set to feature Gunther defending the World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk, while Cody Rhodes will put the Undisputed WWE Championship on the line against John Cena in a street fight, which is expected to be Cena’s final appearance at the summer spectacle.
However, the X-factor in both championship pictures is Seth Rollins. “The Revolutionary” has been absent from WWE programming since suffering an apparent knee injury during a match against LA Knight. The injury occurred when Rollins landed awkwardly attempting a moonsault, leading to a brief stoppage and an opportunistic victory for Knight.
Since the incident, Rollins has not appeared on “Monday Night Raw.” Instead, his “consigliere,” Paul Heyman, has been seen holding Rollins’ Money in the Bank briefcase while new associates Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed cause turmoil for top stars.
Rollins addressed the injury just once, during a guest-hosting appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on July 16. “There was some imaging. It was a little too swollen. So, we’re going to take another look, hopefully in a week or two,” he said. “What I feel is that this is going to be me out for an extended period of time.”
With his status officially unknown, speculation is rampant. Rollins holds the Money in the Bank contract, which guarantees him a championship match at any time of his choosing. He could cash in on either main event, drastically altering the outcome. One possibility is that he could interfere in the Gunther vs. Punk match, fulfilling his vow to prevent his rival, Punk, from ever winning a world title again.
Alternatively, Rollins could target the most prestigious prize in the company by inserting himself into the match between Rhodes and Cena. A history of conflict already exists between Rollins and Rhodes, and a cash-in during such a high-profile bout would send shockwaves through the organization.
The final possibility is that the injury is legitimate and not a storyline, meaning Rollins will not be a factor. Regardless, injured or not, Seth Rollins holds all the cards heading into WWE’s biggest event of the summer.
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