Braun Strowman’s injury seemed to have upended plans for the WWE Universal Championship and WWE Raw over the next few months. At first, it seemed like The Monster Among Men was facing six to eight weeks out after suffering an elbow injury.
On Monday, however, WWE suggested that when Strowman went under the knife to repair the damaged joint last week, it turned out his elbow was shattered and that he was looking at up to six months on the injured list. Since Strowman was the presumptive number one contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship, that seemed to have thrown a spanner in the works for WWE’s plans. Lesnar is set to have his first title defense at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view in July, where Strowman was considered his likely opponent before news of the injury emerged.
On Raw , that lengthy layoff for Strowman led to general manager Kurt Angle booking a Fatal Five-Way match at Extreme Rules to determine the new number one contender. Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, and Bray Wyatt will face each other for the right to challenge Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire.
But the latest WWE rumors suggest that Strowman’s injury might not keep him out of action for as long as WWE claimed on its own website. According to Cageside Seats, multiple sources have claimed that the injury, while legitimate, will not keep Strowman out for six months and that timeframe is seemingly a work. Instead, his return date is in around two months.
While that still rules out the likelihood of Strowman getting involved in the title match at Great Balls of Fire , that timeframe puts him in line to be healthy to face the Universal Champion at SummerSlam in August. Given obvious fan interest in a showdown between Lesnar and Strowman based on crowd and online reactions, it follows then that Lesnar would likely retain at Great Balls of Fire and go on to face Strowman at SummerSlam. Of course, since this is dirt sheet conjecture, it’s worth taking this with a grain of salt.
Elsewhere in pro wrestling rumors, Scott Hall was apparently taken to hospital over the weekend following an appearance at an independent show in the UK. The hospital released him, but he apparently flew home despite doctor’s orders to the contrary. Hall hasn’t posted on his Twitter account, which is usually very active, since May 11.
Also in injury news, New Japan Pro Wrestling ace Hiroshi Tanahashi suffered a problem on the last night of the “War of the Worlds” tour, which NJPW promotes with Ring of Honor in the US. It seems as though Tanahashi suffered an injury to his bicep.
He is scheduled to face Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at Dominion on June 11 in a rematch of their Wrestle Kingdom 11 bout and, if he is healthy, is likely to compete in the G1 Climax, which begins in mid-July.
Lastly, the WWE Women’s Tournament is expected to take place later in the year, and news has emerged about how the show might air on WWE Network. Unlike last year’s Cruiserweight Classic, it seems as though WWE will add three or four episodes at a time to its streaming service. Taping dates are apparently set for July 13 and July 14, with the live finale taking place on August 29.
But as far as most WWE fans are concerned, August is all about SummerSlam , and this could very well be the time for Braun Strowman to step up to claim a championship at the second biggest show of the year after recovering from injury — despite WWE suggesting otherwise on the timeframe.
[Featured Image by WWE]