The WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view is just days away and, after an eventful week that saw Vince McMahon retire and Triple H take over as head of creative, a major shakeup was just announced for the event. Seth Rollins and Riddle’s match is no longer on the card, but there are a couple of key things surrounding the situation that have us super confused.
Anyone tuning into the event this Saturday with their Peacock premium subscription is probably wondering why they're likely not going to see Seth Rollins or Riddle face-off. So on that note, here’s what’s going on at the moment and why everything might not be as it seems on the big day:
The WWE Announced That Riddle Is Injured And That The Match Is Postponed, But Rumors Say It’s A Work
The WWE announced on its program The Bump that Seth Rollins’ attack on Riddle caused a brachial plexus injury (a stinger) and that the latter is medically disqualified from competing at SummerSlam. The match is postponed for now, with no official date confirmed for the future showdown at this time.
Not long after the announcement, though, a report from Fightful Select claimed that Riddle is not actually injured and that the match is simply being moved to a later date. Insiders say that it's being planned for the upcoming WWE event Clash at the Castle and that its dismissal from SummerSlam was the result of a creative choice.
Seth Rollins Doesn’t Seem Happy About What Happened
When it was first announced that Riddle was injured, the first thought many wrestling fans probably had was that Seth Rollins would face another opponent at SummerSlam. As we later learned, it seems that neither wrestler will perform. Rollins apologized to fans with a sincere tweet that broke from his usual slimy heel persona that he usually employs on camera:
For anyone who purchased a ticket to #SummerSlam hoping to see me in action, I apologize. I did everything I could over the last 6 months to earn my spot on this show, but some things are out of my control. Thank you for always singing my song. They’ll hear ya someday.July 27, 2022
Because Seth Rollins said that he did everything he could to make the match work, one might get the impression that he’s not happy that he’s won’t be wrestling on Saturday. Again, it makes one wonder exactly why Rollins can’t wrestle another opponent at SummerSlam, especially with a number of prominent superstars like Drew McIntyre not currently on the card. It’s possible that that is the eventual plan and that this tweet leads to an announcement on Friday’s SmackDown or before SummerSlam, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Removing Seth Rollins And Riddle Is A Major Blow To The SummerSlam Card
I think it's fair to say that of all the matches that are currently planned for this event, Seth Rollins vs. Riddle was one of the biggest. We've seen Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns paired up many times now, and it’s looking like the result might’ve been spoiled thanks to a toy. In terms of matches we’ve seen before, the same can be said of Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch and a couple of other events that are planned. Some of the new pairings we’ll see are a gimmick match between Pat McAfee and Happy Corbin and a fight between Logan Paul vs. The Miz. Paul might’ve impressed critics through WrestleMania, but whatever talent he brings on Saturday won’t match the energy of a match between Rollins and Riddle.
SummerSlam is supposed to be one of the WWE’s biggest events of the year so, if the company is removing a major match for some other plan, one would hope that it’s a pretty big strategy that wows audiences. I know there are already some people hoping for Bray Wyatt’s return, especially since Wyatt’s frequent teases seem to be hinting that he'll return to pro wrestling. Still, it's hard not to be hung up on the match that's not longer on the card.
WWE’s SummerSlam PPV streams live on Peacock on Saturday, July 30th. Here’s hoping there are some major surprises, and not any like the one we just received.
