Seth Rollins Surgery Timeline Could Sideline Him Beyond WrestleMania

Seth Rollins is officially going under the knife—and it’s worse than anyone thought. The current World Heavyweight Champion is set to undergo shoulder surgery, and according to Wrestling Observer Radio, the timeline means he’s likely out through WrestleMania.

On the October 16, 2025 edition of the show, Bryan Alvarez asked Dave Meltzer for an update on Rollins’ condition. Meltzer confirmed what many had feared:

“Well, it looks like he’s going to need surgery on the shoulder, and that’s pretty much it. The story that I got was that he was going to have surgery as soon as possible.”

Rollins had already been pulled from WWE’s upcoming Supershow tour in Japan, where he was originally scheduled to face CM Punk and team with names like Jey Uso and Shinsuke Nakamura. With those appearances scrapped, speculation around his status only grew louder.

Meltzer also said that WWE has yet to officially decide what to do with the World Title or Rollins’ originally scheduled match against CM Punk on November 1 at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

“I presume that it will be — it could be on tomorrow’s show, but probably, you know, Monday’s show that they’ll make the announcement, as far as, you know, what they’re gonna do about the world title, what they’re gonna do about Saturday Night’s Main Event.”

With Punk still positioned to challenge for the title, WWE now has to figure out a new path forward. Meltzer floated several possibilities, including inserting Bron Breakker into the mix or running a tournament to crown a new champion—though he noted WWE already had tournament plans involving Gunther for the Cena match, making back-to-back brackets feel repetitive.

“They could put Bron Breakker in. They could, you know, make it a multiple-person match… They could do a tournament, and end it on November 1st. Or maybe Punk gets the winner of a tournament — since Punk earned his title shot. There’s a million ways to do it.”

The bigger issue? Rollins isn’t expected back until well after WrestleMania, meaning WWE’s long-term creative plans—especially those rumored to include matches with both CM Punk and Roman Reigns—are now completely up in the air.

“He’s going to be out for a long time, probably past Mania.”

With Seth Rollins now facing a lengthy recovery and WWE scrambling to reshape their main event picture, fans can expect major changes in the coming weeks. Whether it’s Bron Breakker stepping up, CM Punk being fast-tracked, or a completely new direction, WWE’s next move will be critical.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.