Seth Rollins and Austin Theory wrestled in the main event of the January 2 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, and the Visionary appeared to injure his knee toward the end of the show. Rollins could not deliver a powerbomb to Theory during the match due to the knee, and Austin repeatedly worked the injury as the bout ended. Following the show, fan footage surfaced of Rollins needing help to get from the ring to the backstage area. There were also reports that the dreaded “X” had been thrown up, which typically indicates that a legit injury has occurred. The 36-year-old cryptically tweeted, “Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.” a day later, which was a phrase Rollins leaned on heavily following his brutal knee injury in 2015.
Rollins hasn’t worked any house shows since Raw, leaving some fans concerned about his well-being. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com gave the following update about the knee injury: “Seth Rollins was never scheduled for this past weekend’s live events, so for those who have asked whether he was injured on Raw, that is not the case. The knee spots were all part of the storyline of the match with Austin Theory.” That’s good news for WWE. It is already dealing with the absence of AJ Styles on Monday nights due to a broken ankle. With the Royal Rumble right around the corner, the timing would have been brutal for Rollins, who has been involved in the red brand’s main event scene for months.
Seth Rollins Is (Almost) Too Good At His Job
The injury concerns are a testament to Rollins and his ability to tell a story inside the squared circle. He sold the knee trauma so well that audience members and fans at home were legitimately concerned for his health. Replies to his “Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.” tweet numbered in the thousands, with the likes of Glenn Rubenstein and
Ryan Satin chiming in and sending their well-wishes to Seth Rollins. It did look legit in real-time, and the footage of Rollins being helped to the backstage area certainly added fuel to the fire.
All things considered, this is just another example of Seth Rollins being one of the best professional wrestlers going today. WWE talent doesn’t generally receive the same accolades as those under the AEW or NJPW banners, but whenever The Architect is involved, the odds are good that the match or program will be outstanding. His recent run with Austin Theory has helped solidify the 25-year-old as one of the top guys on Monday Night Raw, and he seems poised to go on a monster face run soon. It remains to be seen whether WWE will try to get the apparent kayfabe injury over by keeping him off television until the Royal Rumble. His entering when fans believe he’s hurt to eliminate Theory would receive a monster pop.
