10 Major Challenges Facing WWE In 2018
8. Broken Universe
Suffering a triceps injury on December 18th 2017, Dean Ambrose became the last member of The Shield since the group's original formation to go under the knife. As a trio, Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns helped usher in a completely new style of WWE main event pioneered by the brief headline forays of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, but their bodies have since paid the price.
'The Lunatic Fringe' in particular developed a reputation for surviving the grind of the matches and WWE's punishing schedule better than most, but his recent exit (a first in five years on the main roster) was a reminder to the entire roster that nobody was immune to the plight.
Rocktape sales may be way up, but Superstars are going down on an almost monthly basis, suggesting that even Rollins' 'Crossfit Revolution' adopted by many of the younger talents hasn't effectively blocked the knocks.
WrestleMania 32 was the last high-profile supercard to fall foul of a raft of headline injuries, so much so that Shane McMahon was brought out of mothballs to fight The Undertaker, Triple H justifiably won the Royal Rumble, the WWE Title AND the topline spot, and John Cena and The Rock paired off to dispose of The Wyatt Family in a comedy segment. It's folly to assume those dark days won't soon come again.