Picture this alternate timeline: CM Punk crumbles against Gunther at SummerSlam, clutching his knee in defeat as the Ring General makes Punker tap out to a Boston crab. Gunther retains his World Heavyweight Championship.
Somewhere in the back, Seth Rollins, still committed to his elaborate injury ruse, suddenly realizes his master plan has one critical flaw: he banked everything on a 45-year-old man with a “fragile” body beating an Austrian wrecking ball.
Now what?
Seth would be stuck, hobbling around on crutches he doesn’t need, watching Gunther defend against literally anyone except the guy he specifically wants to cash in on. The months that follow would be a masterclass in the application of Plan B in pro wrestling.
First, Seth would have to double down on his fake injury. Medical appointments with doctors who are increasingly confused by his miraculous healing abilities.
“Mr. Rollins, your MRI shows the structural integrity of a Olympic gymnast, yet you insist you can barely walk.”
Seth, sweating: “It’s a very… complex injury, doc.”
Meanwhile, he’d become CM Punk’s most dedicated and anonymous supporter. Imagine Seth creating a burner Twitter account tweeting “CM Punk deserves ONE MORE SHOT at Gunther! #JusticeForPunk.” He’d be sliding into Triple H’s DMs with elaborate booking scenarios. “Hey Paul, what if we did Gunther vs. Punk in a steel cage? For the storyline, obviously. Not because I’m desperately waiting to cash in or anything.”
Punk and Heyman would try their best so that CM Punk gets another match with Gunther until he becmes the Champion, you know so that Seth can have the whole gotcha moment.
The real tragedy would be when Punk inevitably gets injured because this is CM Punk we’re talking about. Seth would transform into wrestling’s most concerned rival, anonymously sending care packages to Punk’s bed in a local medical facility.
“Get well soon! From… a friend who definitely isn’t holding anything in a bank or something and slowly losing his mind over it. hahahahahahahhhahahahaha”