Seth Rollins suffered a legitimate shoulder injury during his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE Crown Jewel.
As a result of the injury, the 39-year-old star is expected to require surgery.
With Rollins set to be out for several months at minimum, WWE’s booking plans have already shifted – and several stars could find themselves elevated as a result.
Here are six WWE stars who could be pushed to fill the void left by Rollins’ absence.
6. Bron Breakker
The biggest beneficiary of this unfortunate injury already appears to be Bron Breakker.
Breakker turned on Rollins on the October 13 edition of Raw, drilling him with a spear – in storyline terms becoming the man who took out the World Heavyweight Champion.
By doing so, Breakker becomes the leader of The Vision faction and instantly one of the top stars in WWE.
While this was a push that was coming at some point, it seemingly wasn’t going to happen this early, and we will soon see if the 27-year-old is ready to take his place in the upper echelon of the company.
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5. Bronson Reed
On the October 13 edition of Raw, Bronson Reed also made his allegiances clear, joining Bron Breakker in beating down Seth Rollins.
At Crown Jewel in Perth, Reed scored the biggest win of his career by defeating Roman Reigns, and his push looks set to continue.
With Breakker now positioned as the top full-time heel in the company, it appears Reed will become the de facto number two.
Although the main focus is seemingly on Breakker, Reed now has every chance to cement himself as a top star in WWE.
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4. Austin Theory
In the lead-up to WWE Crown Jewel, the Wrestling Observer reported that Austin Theory was planned to soon be joining The Vision faction.
The 28-year-old star has been out of action since July with an injury, after spending much of last year in a tag team with Grayson Waller.
However, with Paul Heyman reportedly a strong backstage advocate for him, Theory was expected to join the group and receive a significant push – perhaps as early as Crown Jewel.
He ultimately did not appear on the show, and with Rollins now injured and plans changing, the question remains: will we still see him align with Heyman and Breakker?
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3. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar returned to action at Wrestlepalooza in September and reunited with Paul Heyman, who announced him to the ring.
Not that Lesnar is in need of a push – he returned already presented as one of WWE’s top stars, as showcased by his one-sided demolition of John Cena.
Nevertheless, with Rollins injured, could he be the man to put the WWE World Title on?
It would pave the way for a long-term rivalry between Heyman’s two guys – Breakker and Lesnar – which could culminate with a clash for the title at WrestleMania 42.
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2. LA Knight
With Seth Rollins out, there’s a clear need for another top heel to be created.
LA Knight could be the star to fill that role.
While Knight has proven himself to be one of the most over babyfaces in WWE, he has spent the vast majority of his career as an arrogant, loud-mouthed heel.
We could soon see him reassume that role – perhaps even turning on the babyface team led by Roman Reigns in the WarGames match at Survivor Series.
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1. CM Punk
The next WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event is set to take place on November 1.
Reportedly, according to the Wrestling Observer, CM Punk was scheduled to challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Title on the show.
Given the direction of the storyline – with Rollins having stolen the title from Punk via a cash-in at SummerSlam – Punk was always expected to eventually avenge the loss and reclaim the championship; however, that payoff wasn’t expected to come as early as November, with more story seemingly left to tell.
With Rollins now injured and plans changing, we could very well see Punk capture the title at the event and end the year as Raw’s top star.
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