Seth Rollins to be stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship due to injury? Why it could happen

At WWE Crown Jewel, Seth Rollins finally defeated Cody Rhodes and in he process, became this year's Men's Crown Jewel Champion, becoming the second man to hold that distinction after The American Nightmare himself.

During the match, an incredible spot saw Seth Rollins deliver a coast-to-coast diving headbutt to Rhodes. In doing so, Rollins took a nasty bump as he attempted to cushion his fall with his left arm. It was clear that Rollins felt the effects of that bump through the remainder of the match, but he fought through the pain.

Given that the nasty landing was quite evident, it's clear that Rollins indeed was in pain, especially because if he were just selling the effects of that bump, it would have factored into the match. And as with any bump of this nature, it did elicit some fear from fans regarding Rollins' health.

Well, with Seth Rollins recently spotted with an arm sling in Perth ahead of tonight's RAW, fears of a major legitimate injury are once again flying high. His knee injury a few months ago may have turned out to be a concocted ruse to cash in his MITB contract on the World Heavyweight Championship, but the situation is different this time around.

As champion, now on top of the world, having beaten his nemesis Cody Rhodes on Saturday and establishing himself as the absolute top guy in WWE, there is no reason for his character to fake an injury or for WWE to have him injured in storyline at all.

And having not defended the title since Clash in Paris — over six weeks ago — his next one would have to be imminent unless he legitimately cannot go. In the two-and-a-half months he has held the title, he has only defended it once, in the Fatal Four Way main event in Paris.

Seth Rollins is indeed almost certainly now dealing with a legitimate arm injury, but the extent of that injury remains unknown. He was able to complete his match with Cody Rhodes as planned, and it clearly wasn't cut short, but details of a post-match diagnosis have been kept close to the vest.

If this turns out to be a minor injury, Rollins could continue to reign as World Heavyweight Champion. World Champions don't wrestle regularly on TV these days anyway, and with The Vision right there, he can continue to show up until he makes his in-ring return when he can.

However, if this is a severe injury, Seth Rollins may have to vacate a World Title again, and in a case of cruel irony, have his run as the face of Monday Night RAW cut short after having faked an injury just a few months ago — one that WWE portrayed as a legitimate one to swerve the fans and pull off an incredible ruse.

Seth Rollins getting injured would be a massive blow to the WWE product

To reiterate the post-fake-knee-injury discourse, it would be a shame if such does, in fact, turn out to be the case, because Seth Rollins is an incredibly compelling character right now, and the centrepiece of a brand that has the biggest stars in the business and two men he or his allies have direct conflicts with — CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

In addition to having the World Heavyweight Championship around his shoulders, he has Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker around him on a continued rise, a compelling and evolving dynamic with Paul Heyman, and, by extension, the goons the pair has employed and the services of additional superstars they may have had plans for.

A rumored title defense against CM Punk at Saturday Night's Main Event may have to be put on hold even if Rollins does not relinquish his World Heavyweight Championship and is only out for a few weeks, and it may also significantly alter plans for WarGames, and as such, plans for multiple megastars in WWE.