An awkward twist of Seth Rollins' surgically repaired knee is poised to send WWE's WrestleMania 33 plans in disarray.
The Architect had been on the hunt for revenge against Triple H. The Game introduced Samoa Joe as his hired muscle on Monday's Raw and sicced him on Rollins. Their animosity-rich story would presumably culminate at the WrestleMania pay-per-view on April 2, WWE's biggest event of the year.
The company, though, may have to come up with an alternative narrative because Rollins is hurt.
WWE.com's James Wortman revealed that Rollins re-injured the knee he tore in late 2015. The early prognosis doesn't look good. Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet wrote, "Multiple sources tell us his status for WrestleMania 33 is currently up in the air."
There is no official word on the severity of the injury or how long he'll be out.
This is the same knee that left Rollins out of action for months due to a torn ACL and MCL. And WrestleMania is less than two months away.
So if Rollins misses his second consecutive WrestleMania, what does WWE do with Triple H and Joe?
In The Game's case, his presence will add another star to the lineup. He can elevate an emerging talent's career by clashing with them. As for Joe, WrestleMania could be his coming-out party.
The former NXT champ is a stellar heel and top-notch performer. He needs to be a high-profile figure right away. A compelling rival at The Show of Shows would do wonders to introduce him to a larger audience.
What foes would lead to the best stories? Who would have the best matches against either The Samoan Submission Machine or The Game? Which matchups are most WrestleMania-worthy?
WWE's best options range from a fearsome beast to a prizefighter with a chip on his shoulder.
Braun Strowman
The mammoth man who has been ripping through the Raw roster is one of WWE's rising stars.
Braun Strowman, however, is not guaranteed a premier spot on the WrestleMania card. Roman Reigns, his current enemy, could be in line to take on Undertaker at the marquee event. Reigns and The Deadman's collision at Royal Rumble felt like a precursor to that.
If that's the case, Strowman would be a good fit opposite Joe.
WWE would have to do some narrative rearranging, but a monster-against-monster clash between those two has big potential. Strowman would have to morph into a babyface in the coming weeks. He'd then have to take issue with Triple H and Joe, two men he has zero history with.
Strowman, though, has shown a tendency to reject authority. He has threatened to devour Raw general manager Mick Foley when he doesn't get his way.
Triple H could anger the bearded giant by denying him a title opportunity. Strowman could go on a rampage in response. Joe would be The Game's means to slow the powerhouse.
That's the path to a flesh-reddening slobberknocker that would provide both Joe and Strowman with a major chance to shine at WrestleMania.
Finn Balor
As James McKenna of Pro Wrestling Sheet wrote, "Triple H's golden boy is obviously No. 1 on this list."
Finn Balor vs. Triple H would be an easy feud to build. They have a connection from NXT when The Game welcomed the highly touted star to the developmental brand. The issues with Balor and Joe are deep, as the two battled for the NXT Championship for months.
WWE would either reconvene that story or spin off into something about Triple H wanting to crush his protege, Balor, as he did with Rollins.
A showdown with Triple H would be a tremendous first WrestleMania match for Balor. He would get all the career-boosting benefits of taking down The King of Kings that Rollins was in line to receive. The action promises to be highly entertaining with Balor's speed matched up against Triple H's craftiness.
Balor won the Universal Championship last summer, only to succumb to a shoulder injury. If he's recovered in time for WrestleMania season, he can continue the ascent he was on by stepping on Triple H.
Joe vs. Triple H
Triple H's destroyer could prove difficult to control. WWE would have to speed up the story, but Joe breaking away from The Game would be stellar.
Triple H could believe Joe is in his command, issuing orders to wipe out his enemies. Eventually, though, the powerhouse could push back, wanting to forge his own path.
The in-ring action would be excellent. Their meeting would be a hard-hitting clash of titans.
WWE would be introducing Joe by having him clash with a future Hall of Famer. It could also keep all of its other WrestleMania plans intact by replacing Rollins with the man who wiped him out.
The company could play up their NXT connection, too, as Triple H signed The Samoan Submission Machine to the developmental brand. The storyline parts are there to play with, even if WWE would have to hurry along to get to the climax in time for WrestleMania 33.
Kevin Owens
The universal champ may be headed for a battle with his best friend, Chris Jericho, but if WWE was willing to wait on that tale, KO would make a hell of a foil for Joe.
Owens vs. Joe would be a slugfest for the ages.
They are both hard-hitting bruisers with mean streaks. Each man is a top-notch performer in the ring and on the mic as well.
Their promos against each other promise to be special.
A meeting between the two former NXT titleholders would require some work, though. Owens would need to turn babyface, and WWE would have to draw up a story that led to him fighting the man who gifted him the Universal Championship last August.
Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net laid out a possible scenario to that end: "If Owens drops the title at Fastlane, then Hunter could punish him by unleashing Joe on him the next night. This scenario feels like a long shot, but Owens will be a terrific babyface at some point."
The Game has talked about why he turned on Rollins, but we never did get an explanation for why Triple H helped Owens. WWE could use that unopened narrative box to get Owens and Joe or Owens and Triple H to collide at WrestleMania.
In the meantime, Jericho could instead take on Sami Zayn for the United States title at WrestleMania.
Rollins being out at such a key point is a big blow to WWE's WrestleMania strategy, but the company does have a number of viable replacements. The Joe-Triple H story would have to veer in a different direction, sending Raw's newest predator charging toward a marquee contest that would bolster the PPV.