Samoa Joe became an official member of the Monday Night Raw roster when he attacked Seth Rollins this week on behalf of Triple H. However, the latest WWE rumors suggest that Joe could be heading to SmackDown Live since WrestleMania 33 plans have changed because of Rollins' knee injury.
"The Samoan Submission Machine" made his main roster debut this past Monday at the conclusion of Raw when he ambushed Rollins at the orders of Triple H. He threw Rollins multiple times on the barricade before putting him to sleep with the Coquina Clutch.
However, the worst has happened as the WWE announced on their official website that Rollins suffered a knee injury during Joe's attack on Raw. It should be noted that the injury is legitimate and not part of the storyline. The injured knee was the same one that underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in 2015.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rollins suffered a torn right MCL on his knee and he could be out for eight weeks. The injury occurred when Joe tried to get Rollins' back but his feet were not fully planted and it resulted in his right knee giving out.
WWE rumors have revealed that Vince McMahon and the creative team are devising backup plans for Rollins, Joe and Triple H at WrestleMania 33. The planned Triple H vs. Seth Rollins match is still a go if "The Architect" is cleared to return before the big event.
But if Rollins misses his second straight WrestleMania 33, the WWE is looking at several options. One of those plans, per Meltzer, is to have Joe face Triple H at WrestleMania 33. Another plan is to move Joe to SmackDown Live and possibly face John Cena.
It should be noted that there were WWE rumors last month indicating that Joe vs. Cena is one of the planned matches for WrestleMania 33. The match could be back in play once again because of Rollins' unfortunate injury.
Joe could easily show up at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and cost Cena his WWE championship. It sets up their dream matchup at WrestleMania 33 that the WWE teased earlier this year.
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