WWE: Moving forward after Night of Champions

The injury to Sting was quite unfortunate

Nothing went right on Sunday night for WWE’s Night of Champions, and it appears the problems that existed for a pay-per-view that everyone can agree was as underwhelming as any one of Chris Jericho’s recent returns to the company, has suddenly gotten worse.

There are reports from several media outlets and confirmed by WWE.com that Sting suffered a severe injury in his WWE World Title match with Seth Rollins – an injury that could be career threatening.

The 56-year old veteran had been in only one match since appearing at WrestleMania in March. It is not known exactly when the injury occurred in the match, but officials are speculating it could have a major effect on the wrestler moving forward.

As reported on Yahoo.com…

At Night of Champions on Sunday night in Houston, Sting (real name Steve Borden) was given a “buckle bomb” in the corner by Rollins – a move in which he’s carried on Rollins’s shoulders and then launched back-first into the corner turnbuckles. Replays showed Sting’s neck and head whipping violently into the top turnbuckle. He staggered out of the corner, his right leg wobbling before he fell to the mat.

Rollins whipped him off the ropes, and Sting ran slowly, ducking a clothesline and then tumbling to the mat. At that point, the referee slid down to check on Sting, and signaled for a WWE Certified Athletic Trainer at ringside to attend to him. Sting eventually got his feet and went to the corner, after was back in action after about a three-minute delay. The match was finished soon after, with Sting’s Scorpion Death Lock was reversed into a roll-up win for Rollins to retain the WWE title.

Earlier in the match, Sting went through the Spanish announcers’ table (really, who hasn’t?) to take another bump that could have caused an injury.

After the event, veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer that “Sting's injury was legitimate and we're trying to get more information on it. The early reports we have is that the injury was significant."

I could make plenty of comments about how a man over the age of 50, getting in the ring to face one fo the best performers in the business today has no place in professional wrestling – but is only an opinion. The fact is Sting was a solid choice to face the current WWE World Champion from a potential TV rating perspective. The pay-per-view was as awful as anything I have seen in some time, despite the fact the final two matches of the night, which involved Rollins and John Cena for the United States Championship and the match with Sting and Rollins, might have been the best of the evening.

It also makes you wonder what the outcome of the match would have been if Sting was not injured. Would WWE brass have taken both belts from Rollins and had Sting drop the title to Sheamus? Also, given that Sting was injured, would a masked Kane made an appearance in Houston? Was he sent to the ring once it was determined the injury to the former NWA, WCW, and TNA world champion was real?

I guess we will never know the answer to that question.

A confrontation between Kane and Rollins changes the direction of The Authority and all but assures that this is the last potential run for The Big Red Monster. Kane has been one of WWE’s greatest assets since coming to the company at April 1997's In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker event.

Kane is considered one of the best workers in the ring and one of the most respected wrestlers in the locker room. Kane has won 18 total championships during his WWF/E career, including being a three-time world champion (having held the WWF Championship, ECW Championship, and World Heavyweight Championship once each), and is also a multiple-time world tag team champion, having held the WWF/E (World) Tag Team Championship, WCW Tag Team Championship, and WWE Tag Team Championships with various partners. He is also the 2010 Money in the Bank winner.