Backstage Notes On Rollins, Banks & AJ Styles, First XFL Coach Set

Backstage Notes On Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks & AJ Styles’ Reported Injuries, First XFL Head Coach Confirmed

Backstage Notes On Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks & AJ Styles’ Reported Injuries

Dave Meltzer is reporting the following updates in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

– Seth Rollins is dealing with a back injury, but it will not threaten Wrestlemania. Meltzer previously reported the injury pre-dated Brock Lesnar’s on-screen attack on him, and Rollins will be resting up for a few weeks while remaining on television.

– Sasha Banks’ injury from her Royal Rumble match with Ronda Rousey has still not been specified. Banks was still seen on RAW this week, but Bayley worked the majority of the match herself after their opponents orchestrated a pre-match attack. It was originally noted that Banks might have been allowed to appear to preserve the ongoing storyline, and she is believed to be ready to go for next Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

– AJ Styles has a hernia, despite Styles speaking out on social media and contradicting the original report. Meltzer maintains Styles is injured and may take it easy for a weeks, saying the actual WWE injury report listed Styles as having a hernia on Monday, but he was cleared on Tuesday and still listed as having “shoulder/abdominal” injuries. It is worth noting that Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp had stated on Fightful’s SmackDown post-show that people backstage have not heard talk of Styles’ hernia injury, bringing the initial report into question.

First XFL Head Coach Confirmed

Former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has been confirmed to be the first head coach and general manager for the Dallas franchise in Vince McMahon’s XFL.

Sources reported Stoops’ involvement earlier Wednesday, and he later confirmed the news to KWTV 9 in Oklahoma City. Stoops said (via Yahoo Sports):

“It’ll be fun. It’s a different time of year. I’ve been limited in some of the stuff today this time of year anyway. You can only do so much golf in this period.”

Stoops has not coached since stepping down from his role at the University of Oklahoma in 2017. The XFL will formally make the announcement later today; noted Sooners fan and friend of Stoops, Jim Ross, posted the following in reaction to the news: