Samoa Joe and Seth Rollins as Twin Destroyers

First it was Tyson Kidd, now the victim is Seth Rollins. It looks like the arrival of Samoa Joe to the WWE Universe may have cost the promotion one of its biggest stars for a while.

With the Royal Rumble hangover still in full effect, the WWE decided to give us all what we wanted, just one day later. Fans have been long anticipating Samoa Joe’s WWE debut, but were expecting it to be as an entrant into the RR match, not as Triple H’s bounty hunter. Instead they kept us all guessing as to when his call up would take place and now it looks as if they may regret it.

After months of a stagnant feud between Triple H and Seth Rollins that had us waiting for the final shoe to drop, the story finally dipped into overdrive when Seth crashed NXT Takeover: San Antonio, demanding answers from The Game. This ultimately led to his ban from the Royal Rumble, setting up a confrontation on Monday Night Raw. In the final segment of the show, Triple H did what he can only do, which is cut a promo that buys into the vision of entertainment actually being real. He may not be the same wrestler anymore, but his mic skills will never die.

Seth finally got what he wished for, an opportunity to look The Game in the eye and verbally destroy his so called creator with one breath. However, before he was allowed to spit fire, a deadly Samoan stopped him in his tracks and looks to have put him out of action for an extended period of time. Multiple sources, including the infamous Dave Meltzer have confirmed that the injury occurred when Joe took Rollins’ back to apply the Coquina Clutch and Seth’s legs weren’t planted. His right, reconstructed knee gave out, and now we wait for another return.

While most fans prayed the injury was nothing but a part of a work, reports seem to indicate the injury is very real. Rollins tweeted a statement that says,….

“Wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has reached out to me over the last two days. Life doesn’t always go your way, but that is no excuse to surrender. If anything, obstacles exist to help us grow and evolve. This re-injury to my surgically repaired knee is real and a lot is up in the air right now, but one thing remains constant: my resolve. This doesn’t end for me until I’ve reclaimed the throne and for me, fighting and defeating Triple H is the only way. I will work harder than I ever have and push myself beyond what I know. This isn’t over. The only way to wear the crown is to slay the king. I know what must be done and there’s nothing that can stop me.”

It is believed to be a torn MCL and early word is he’ll be out for about eight weeks. This puts his status for WrestleMania 33 up in the air, with the possibility of missing the Grand event two years in a row. Surely, this all could be a work, but at this point I highly doubt it.

The other side to this story is the “so called” destruction caused by Samoa Joe. We have all heard the whispers of him being a dangerous wrestler to be in the ring with, but Seth has been held to those same standards as well. They both have left their partners in the ring physically unable to perform at one time or another. Joe practically left Tyson Kidd almost paralyzed from a flawed maneuver and Seth derailed Finn Balor’s Championship moment in one breathe. Their mistakes or unlucky movements caught the ire of many people, including Bret Hart.

When discussing these scenarios some months ago, Hart was quick to criticize both wrestlers and had this to say about the WWE allowing Samoa Joe to continue using the Muscle Buster following Tyson Kidd’s injury (Courtesy of WrestleZone):

“When I think of Samoa Joe nearly killing Tyson Kidd, then see him continuing to use that deadly finish of his, I just shake my head. It’s not real, it’s only supposed to look real, and wrestlers are not crash test dummies!”

When we look at Seth, his laundry list of injuries cannot go unnoticed either. The injury to Finn Balor was a heartbreaking scenario, but was just another incident from the moves of “The Architect.” Let’s not forget that he broke John Cena’s nose and was involved in Sting’s last match in WWE. Sure these could be labeled as accidents, but they still have to be brought into question.

In the wrestling business, there are always going to be injuries that mount through the course of a career. However, if the same person or persons are causing these injuries there needs to be some action taken. Whether it be a closer look at that individual’s ring style or the actual move that is causing the injury. These are professional entertainers that work on mastering their craft daily, but that doesn’t mean they lay claim to the world of perfection.

When I look at this whole situation, I feel WWE really has to investigate a situation like this knowing it could develop into a pattern. As a business entity and creator of talent, sometimes WWE officials have to look at the wrestler himself and decide if they can trust him/her to perform safely without any hesitation. When AJ Styles came over to the WWE there were rumors he wasn’t allowed to use the Styles Clash due to injury concerns. However, after establishing a trust in the wrestler himself, his peers and employers felt comfortable letting it ride. After seeing the pattern of Seth and Joe, it may take a little more time for their trust to be earned again. What do you think? Is there a valid reason for concern here?

***The above article expresses my opinions only. As always, I stand behind my views and am interested to hear yours. I look forward to seeing your comments and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter (@TCutillo23) to get all my updates…………