Seth Rollins was looking for some payback on Shinsuke Nakamura after what the Japanese star did to him at Payback on Saturday night. “The Visionary” managed to nail Nakamura with a Curb Stomp and successfully retain his World Heavyweight Championship, but Nakamura got the last laugh after the camera stopped rolling by once again attacking Rollins’ injured back. He punctuated the attack by tossing Rollins into the entrance ramp’s LED board back-first and Rollins later claimed he had to leave the arena via a wheelchair.ย
Videos by ComicBook.com
Rollins called out Nakamura on this week’s Monday Night Raw, going so far as to offer him another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the spot. Nakamura playfully denied Rollins’ request, prompting the champ to leave the ring and start a brawl. Security quickly separated the two and Adam Pearce later explained that he was looking out for Rollins’ well-being given his back. Rollins rejected that idea and tried to attack Nakamura again after the Japanese star forced a disqualification by whacking Ricochet with a steel chair. But Nakamura was able to escape yet again as security once again thwarted Rollins’ attempt at revenge.ย
Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship Reign
Rollins’ run as the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion officially reached 100 days this week. Counting his house show defenses, Rollins has already successfully defended his championship 25 times, which stands in stark contrast to Roman Reigns’ light schedule as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.ย
Rollins first went public regarding his nagging back injuryย in an interview with Logan Paul on theย Impaulsiveย podcast. He noted at the time that he would eventually need to undergo surgery.
“I try to change my training up based on how I feel. There are constant injuries. My knee has been bugging me since before WrestleMania (39). I was having an issue with that. My neck acting up. My lower back has been at me since 2019 [and I] probably should get some surgery on that,” Rollins said. “[I’m] trying to just do whatever I can to make sure I don’t need it because I have a couple of stress fractures back there.”
Now that WWE has made Rollins’ legitimate back injury part of the onscreen canon, how much longer will his reign last? Tell us your predictions in the comments!
Update:ย Nakamura later explained his actions, saying his rejection was just another way to break Rollins down.
WWE Payback 2023 Results
- Becky Lynch def. Trish Stratus (Steel Cage Match)
- LA Knight def. The Miz (John Cena as special guest referee)
- WWE United States Championship:ย Rey Mysterio def. Austin Theory
- Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships:ย The Judgment Day (Finn Balor & Damian Priest) def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zaynย
- Women’s World Championship:ย Rhea Ripley def. Raquel Rodriguez
- World Heavyweight Championship:ย Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura
