Triple H injury means tough times for WWE

According to his surgeon, HHH will miss from four to six months at least after having successful surgery on the quadriceps muscle he tore while delivering a spine buster to Randy Orton last week. While the injury wasn?t as serious as when he tore his other quad back in 2001 and missed nearly a year, it still came at a very bad time as far as the WWE is concerned.

First off, dX was enjoying incredible popularity, equal to its first run in the late 1990s which ironically ended suddenly then when its other half, the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels, suffered a back injury which forced him into retirement for the better part of a decade. Plus, they were building their way to Wrestlemania in April, a Wrestlemania which it was rumored would prominently feature HHH.

Conventional wisdom was that either Edge would win the belt from John Cena in the near future and then put it on the line at Wrestlemania against HHH as one of the main events or that Cena would turn heel, seeing he gets heavily booed at half the arenas anyway, and put the belt on the line against HHH. Either way, those plans are now dead for this year with HHH?s injury, as is the immediate plans for dX. While some may not know this, Michaels also has issues with his knees. Prior to the HHH injury, there were questions as to how long HBK could continue without a rest to heal. Now, with HHH gone, word is HBK is also wanting time off to mend and then perhaps return this summer in a dX reunion. However, given the fact WWE is strapped for talent going into its biggest money making months of the year, there will be pressure put on HBK to ?man up? and hang in there in the absence of HHH.

So, what now? HHH is out and HBK?s immediate future is questionable. You?ve got the Big Show in semi-retirement due to back issues, you?ve got the Undertaker already on a limited schedule and rumored to be part of the Smackdown main event at Wrestlemania in a Streak versus Belt match against Batista (Taker has 13 Mania wins a row and has never last a Mania match). And before you even think about it, Hogan has no knee cartilage left so he couldn?t do a main event (although there is a rumored match in the works between he and The Great Khali at WM 23 in a Hogan versus Andre the Giant throw back), Stone Cold Steve Austin has a bad neck and doesn?t want to come back, the Rock has went Hollywood and Kurt Angle is selling out seats feuding with Samoa Joe on TNA.

I think I have the answer but I know Vincent Kennedy McMahon doesn?t want to hear it. Why not eat your pride and bring back Brock Lesnar? While not as sharp as some, the man was incredibly strong and had the look of a monster like Goldberg except Lesnar actually had moves in the ring while Goldberg depended solely on strength and look. Lesnar actually carried the Big Show to some classic showdowns before bolting from WWE for a chance to play for the Vikings, a move that was doomed from the beginning. As far as I know, Lesnar is doing a few events for New Japan Wrestling and making noise about some mixed martial arts things, but otherwise, I?d say he?d like a big Wrestlemania paycheck about right now.

With the heat on him when he and Goldberg wrestled their last match together a couple of years ago, I think he?d be a perfect opponent for Cena or even Batista at Wrestlemania seeing he would hit the ground running as a heel. Shoot, he might even lift ECW champ Bobby Lashley?s game a bit, seeing Bobby has great ring skills, but horrible mic skills.

Hey, if you aren?t going to bring in Lesnar, then go ahead and give all of us what we want ? one last title run for Ric Flair. The man is 56 and is 16-time champion. Put the belt on him at Wrestlemania over a heel like Orton or Edge and let him carry it for a couple of months. Folks will like it and it?d be a fitting retirement gift for a future hall of famer. Just for crying out loud, don?t give us Edge versus Cena for the hundredth time.