Seth Rollins Injured; Dragunov Wins U.S. Title

Seth Rollins suffered a shoulder injury and is expected to undergo surgery, and reports say he will likely vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; a Battle Royal on RAW on Oct. 20 will determine the next champion, with CM Punk reportedly penciled in and the winner set to defend on Nov. 1’s SNME. Monday Night RAW in Sacramento is slated to feature multiple title matches that could reshape the landscape, including Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri, Dominik Mysterio vs. Rusev for the Intercontinental title, and AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Finn Balor & JD McDonagh for the World Tag Team Titles. On the Oct. 17 episode of SmackDown, Ilja Dragunov made a surprise return from a torn ACL, answered Sami Zayn’s U.S. Open Challenge and defeated Zayn to win the United States Championship in a brutal, widely praised match that ended Zayn’s open‑challenge run. Insiders say WWE shifted Dragunov’s comeback from a planned RAW return to SmackDown to maximize the surprise and boost the brand. Post-match, members of the MFT attacked, Rey Fenix attempted a save, and the Wyatt Sicks later appeared, setting up new feuds.