Smark Out Moment

Injuries are a big part of professional wrestling. Every company gets hit with the injury bug, and it could be your biggest asset or maybe a guy that does not see much air time/ring time. Nonetheless, it's something we all wish could be avoided.

Here of late, WWE has been nearly ransacked with terrible injuries to top stars. Randy Orton has missed significant time over all of 2015 with injuries, and now the beginning of 2016. Then champ Seth Rollins suffered a severe knee injury during a match with Kane at a house show on November 4th putting him on the shelf for 6-9 months. Now John Cena, who just enjoyed his first Raw back from a personal vacation, will be on the shelf for 6-9 months himself after just announcing, via tweet, that he will undergo shoulder surgery on Thursday January the 7th. Let's not forget Cesaro who left with an injury, and Daniel Bryan who is seemingly being held back even though he says he's ready.

That alone is five top superstars that will have to sit on the sidelines during WWE's biggest time of the year, The Road to WrestleMania.


Granted its only five guys, but five guys that WWE surely had big plans for going into the Show of Shows. Seth Rollins was in the middle of a great championship run and would surely have been in either the main event, or a high profile match nonetheless. Cesaro was a ball of fire that was oozing entertainment in the ring before his injury, and is certainly a fan favorite who can put on a hell of a match with anyone he wants. Randy Orton is one guy you can put in a match with anyone, and it will be a good match that people would definitely be into (see his match with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 if you really need proof).

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31

Daniel Bryan, even though I never was a huge fan, is basically the darling of the WWE Universe. Then, easily the biggest name in the business today, John Cena was rumored to be a potential opponent for The Undertaker which definitely would have been a huge match. Even if that rumor turned out to be false, John attracts money and that's certainly not debatable.

Lets not forget what these five guys could've done in the Royal Rumble or even FastLane to build up to what has been the most hyped WrestleMania in recent years.

The road to WrestleMania 32 has definitely been rough so far and certainly injury riddled. With WWE trying to sell out to over 100,000 at "The House that Jerry Built" ,AT&T Stadium in Dallas, you almost have to ask.. What will WWE do to make WrestleMania 32 not a dud?

Luckily for WWE they took what almost seems like a precautionary step in getting four huge signings from NJPW in the form of The Bullet Club. The Bullet Club, started by now NXT Champion Finn Balor, is one of the greatest stables in the history of pro wrestling and have been taking NJPW by storm for years. The four men that make up The Bullet Club includes one of the most athletic, charismatic, and possibly the greatest wrestler/entertainer in the world of pro wrestling in AJ Styles. WWE fans have been clamoring for AJ Styles to step foot in a WWE ring for years, and multiple reports have stated that he and fellow signee Nakamura will skip the NXT stage entirely and jump straight to the main roster. Which means he could play a prominent role in WrestleMania. Meaning the pure excitement of AJ Styles first WrestleMania appearance could mask the void of not having Cena, Orton, and Rollins. The statement "AJ Styles first WrestleMania" could easily be a selling point to many hardcore fans.

Also, The Rock has announced he will play some sort of role in WrestleMania 32. That alone is a big news as The Rock is arguably one of the last links fans have to The Attitude Era alongside Triple H, and an aging Undertaker. It has not been confirmed what kind of role The Rock might play at The Granddaddy of Em' All, but with Triple H seemingly headed down a road that will end in a match with he facing off against Roman Reigns one can assume we won't see that rivalry get another spark like what we thought earlier this year. This could mean a Rock vs. Brock II like Rocky has said he'd love to have before.

This still leaves a few questions. If The Rock does not take on Lesnar, who does? Who is left that's a viable threat to The Beast? I would love to see a Lesnar vs. Cesaro match, but Cesaro is currently out injured like I covered before. If The Rock does not take on Lesnar, who does he electrify on WrestleMania night? Who will The Undertaker face off with in what we assume will be the last ride for The Deadman? The WWE Universe would hope Sting, but all signs and reports say that the Night of Champions injury that Sting suffered may have ended his in ring career.

Ultimately the WWE has options. Calling up Finn Balor unfortunately does not seem like one of them as I'm sure he will headline NXT TakeOver: Dallas which is only two days before WrestleMania. Thus taking any build time for a match taken away to build for the NXT event. Sami Zayn is very much in play, as a feud with Owens going into Mania would certainly be great. The history between Owens and Zayn makes it so little build up is needed to make a high profile match possible, and the fact that the last time we saw Sami he was getting dismantled by Owens makes a "revenge" driven story line something to dig our teeth into. The Bullet Club needs to play a significant role whether it's as the faction, or as individuals as they are all superb.

Could we see this match up come April 3rd?

Right now, the state of WrestleMania is shaky at best. There are way too many questions, and not enough answers. Luckily, we still have a few months to see plans play out a little more clearly and see how WWE handles the tough luck they've had seemingly all year.