Time for a New Vision: The Fallout of Seth Rollins’ Injury

During his match with Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel, Seth Rollins would injure his shoulder on a coast-to-coast diving headbutt. Two nights later on Raw, Rollins would continue to talk about how everything he accomplished has been on his own. He claimed not to need Bronson Reed, Bron Breakker, or Paul Heyman to do anything he has done this year. He chose them all, but he didn’t need them. This delusional take discredits everything that Bron and Bronson have done for Rollins, taking out Reigns, Punk, The Usos, Penta, Zayn, and Knight.

And by the end of the night, this narcissistic delusion would prove to be Rollins’ downfall. As he would be on the receiving end of the devastation he has so often brought to others. A spear and Tsunami later, and Heyman would be raising the hands of the men Rollins claimed he didn’t need. The man who betrayed his Tribal Chief and Best friend to join Rollins now betrays the Architect and Visionary.

Some say this turn was too soon and that it was done for shock value. I can see that, and I also don’t agree. The turn was on a slow burn, and just got sped up due to the injury. There is also the big question of where we go from here. So, let’s take a look at the lead-up to this turn and the possible fallout.

The Lead Up

In the lead-up to SummerSlam, and with Seth out faking an injury, Bronson Reed had a match with Jey Uso on the July 28th episode of Raw. Bron would tell Heyman not to worry and that he had a plan. That plan seemingly was to interfere in the match. What if that plan had nothing to do with their match with Reigns and Uso? What if that plan was about what to do if Rollins was hurt?

Since SummerSlam, Rollins has focused on his feud with Punk. He teamed with Becky Lynch to face Punk and AJ Lee, a match he lost. And with his focus being fully on Punk, he has left Bron and Bronson to deal with Reigns and the Usos. And while he has been losing, Bron and Bronson have been winning and dominating. They’ve been making sure that Rollins didn’t have to worry about anyone but Punk. And then Rollins claims he didn’t need them.

Heyman’s words to Rollins on the last Raw before Crown Jewel were a warning. Win, and do it on your own. These words didn’t come easy, though. Heyman was trying to keep Rollins confident, but Rollins showed that his confidence was cracking. After losing to Punk and Lee, and having never beaten Cody Rhodes, he didn’t think he could do it. Heyman then laid it out plainly: win or lose, everything. Heyman also kept Bron and Bronson from helping Rollins. Rollins would end up winning, and in his eyes, proving that he didn’t need anyone.

And again, that view would be the final straw. This turn wasn’t out of nowhere; Bron had a plan. It was just put on the shelf after Rollins revealed he wasn’t injured. The plan was that if Rollins wasn’t able to stay healthy and if he continued to disrespect the people keeping him on top, then he would need to be replaced.

The Fallout

So where do we go from here? If Rollins is really out, that will mean the World Championship is going to be vacated. Punk won a Number One Contender match on Raw, so now he needs someone to wrestle for the championship. And what will Bron and Bronson move onto? They took out Rollins, and if he is out for a while, they will need something to keep their momentum going until he returns.

My prediction is that Jey Uso and LA Knight will have a match either this week or next week, with the winner facing Pun at Saturday Night’s Main Event for the World Championship. It’s the cleanest way to get a new champion, without dragging it out longer than it needs to. I also think we will see Heyman talking to Jey, giving him some words of wisdom, about how Heyman helped Roman, and he could do the same for Jey. Sowing the seeds to make people think Jey Uso is going to join Heyman.

They’ve been slowly building to a Jey turn lately, and this would be a possible way to get there. But this would be a swerve, Jey would of course show that he is contemplating what Heyman said, but will then tell him no. Later in the show, Jey will get attacked by Bron and Bronson, and while he will put up a fight, the injuries from the attack will allow Knight to pick up the win.

Flash forward to Saturday Night’s Main Event, Knight and Punk will have a hard-fought match, Punk hits the GTS and is about to win, when Bron and Bronson interfere and allow Knight to win. It’s then revealed that Knight took Heyman up on the offer after Jey refused. And we have a new leader and a new Vision.

This allows a few things: Bron Breakker is on his way, but isn’t quite ready for a main event run, with Knight being the new leader, it allows Breakker to slow-burn a bit more, before winning the Rumble, Elimination Chamber, or Money in the Bank, and then beating Knight. It also allows Knight to finally become World Champion, a valid reason as to why he takes Heyman up on his offer.

Knight isn’t getting younger, and now is the time to strike on his World Championship run. Let him have a solid run before putting Breakker over. It can also help elevate Reed. While Reed may never be World Champion, he is a solid big man, and I can see him going on a dominant Intercontinental Championship run.