Disclaimer - I do not own WWE or any of its characters. I only own my character Tasha and her family/friends.

So just to help you guys out while you read this, every thing that's in bold is "in ring action, promos, text messages or social media posts", bold and italicized are "flashbacks", and italicized is "phone calls".

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Colby Lopez's life had taken a turn, and it wasn't for the better. His mood and emotions were caught in a downward spiral that seemed never ending.

Two months ago he was at the top of his game, the best in his business; "The Man" as he referred to himself. He was cocky, brash, arrogant and had a chip the size of Asia on his shoulder. After his betrayal to the two men he had entered the big show with, "The Shield", imploded and his career rocketed. With the backing of the big bosses, "The Authority", he claimed the most coveted prize in WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship on March 29, 2015.

It was a defining moment in the long career of "The Architect" Seth Rollins. Cashing in his "Money In the Bank" contract on the grandest stage of them all "Wrestlemania", and walking out the Champion was the single most greatest day of his life.

Over the next 8 months he wrestled nearly 7 days a week, defending his championship in brutal matches and as some fans said, "carrying the company on his back."

But even the most skilled and in-shape athlete will eventually find their breaking point, the day where their body has reached its physical limit and something has to give. On November 4, 2015 Seth Rollins found his day.

During a live event on the first night of their overseas tour in Dublin Ireland, in a street fight match with Kane for the title, his body discovered its limit. Going for a move he had done a million times before, his right knee gave out beneath him. He had Kane on the second rope in the corner and went to Sunset Flip over him, and for whatever reason he landed on the instep of his right foot and his right knee just caved in. He felt a sharp pain, but his first instinct, as it always has been was to get back up. So he stands up and puts pressure on it and it seems fine, so he picks 330 pound Kane up and staggers across the ring delivering a power-bomb to Kane through the table in the middle.

At first he figured it simply popped, so he pushed himself to his feet and somehow managed to pick up his opponent delivering a pedigree, his finisher and covering him for the win. Afterwards he just laid there as the trainers rushed down to assist him out of the ring and backstage, no one knew the exact extent of his injury. He was taken to the hospital to have an MRI done, then he went back to his hotel to await the results. When the Doctor called, Seth Rollins' world crumbled beneath him. He had torn his MCL, ACL and meniscus. They were sending him to Birmingham to see the WWE's best surgeons.

The hardest day in his life so far came just before he was scheduled to head back to the United States for his surgery. It was the day he had to stand in front of his bosses, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and relinquish the World Heavyweight title. As the title slipped from Seth's fingers, Triple H noticed the fear in the young man's eyes. It was a common sight when a wrestler got injured and didn't know how long they'd be out, or if they'd have a spot when they came back.

"Hey." Hunter said gently laying a hand on the kid's shoulder. "You'll be back in no time, and this title will be here ready for you to take it back. You just focus on getting better, don't worry about anything else." He looked Seth directly in the eyes, "You will always have a place here."

On November 10, 2015 Colby was admitted for surgery, his Doctor Jeffery Dugas completed the surgery in an hour and thirty minutes. He was very optimistic about Colby's chances of returning to the ring with 100% full function of his knee. He stated that his road to recovery would be around 6-9 months.

After surgery, Colby laid in his bed, still groggy from the anesthetic and spoke to the camera crew standing in his room. "Day 1. Day 1. Coming back for the title. I don't give a shit who's got that thing. Roman, Cesaro, Barrett, Sheamus, I mean… it doesn't matter, I'm coming for it. It's mine. I may not look like a champion right now, give me a few months. Whole game's gonna change man. You thought I was doing something special before, pff, you don't even know. You don't even know."

Hunter wanted to make sure that Colby had no doubts that he would still have a spot in the company when he returned. So he sent a camera crew to tag along with Colby during his recovery to document his "road back" to the ring. It would air on the WWE Network, a part of their WWE 24 series, and it would give the fans not only an in depth look at a wrestlers recovery from injury, but a glimpse into his life as well.

For the first month Colby was miserable, his knee constantly hurt, he couldn't hardly sleep or do anything he wanted to. He stayed in Birmingham for that first month to make it easier on himself, not having to fly back and forth for check-ups.

On December 14, 2015, day 35 of his road to recovery, Colby headed to the OrthoSports Center & Medical Tower for an evaluation. He spent the day trying to get used to all the new feelings in his knee, but every time something shifted or popped, he panicked. By the end of the day, he was tired, both mentally and physically.

Fast forward two weeks, December 28, 2015, day 49 of his recovery Seth Rollins returned home to Iowa. He smiled as he pulled into the driveway of his house, his family waiting to greet him.

"Colby, it's so good to see you sweetheart. I've missed you so much." His mom Holly said as she wrapped her son in a hug.

He smiled, it was times like this that he loved, when he wasn't Seth Rollins WWE Superstar. This was home, and for a little while, he could just be Colby.

The next month flew by, spending his time at home with his friends, girlfriend and puppy, just relaxing. He gave WWE a private tour of his dad's house where his wrestling passion had started. It was kinda cool to give the fans a glimpse into his past. To show them how it all began, and to see where he had made it to now.

February 4, 2016, day 87 of recovery, Colby ventured down to Moline, Illinois. He had found himself at the gym, alone, which was utterly peaceful and serene. During his time there he found out some news that hit him hard.

On February 8, 2016, he found out that his co-worker and friend Daniel Bryan was announcing his retirement on RAW due to an injury he had sustained months earlier. This sent Colby reeling, mostly because his story was so much like Daniel's. They both had a similar wrestling style, and that could have easily been Colby in his position. When you're frightened your mind can be your worst enemy, and at that time, Seth's was. He started wondering not when he would return to the ring, but if he would ever return.

On top of his worry about his injury and job, his girlfriend decided that now would be a good time to tell him that she was leaving him. Talk about kicking a man when he is down. She had never liked wrestling, never been into it, even though it was his job, so truthfully he should have seen it coming. But like most people, when you love someone, you try to look past certain aspects of them.

She had never blatantly told him she hated his job, just constantly voiced her dislike of it. She would tell him it was stupid, that if he wanted to act, he should have become an actor. Most of the time Colby just let her comments roll off of his back, paying her no mind. But since his injury, she had been more vocal about her distaste of the WWE. He had been thinking of a way to end the relationship peacefully, but luckily she had done it for him.

Instead of wallowing in self pity, Colby focused his hurt and anger into his recovery. Three months after his initial injury Colby flew down to Florida, determined to get back into the ring as soon as possible.