On the surface, it might seem like Seth Rollins doesn’t need saving. Monday Night Raw seems determined to base the show completely on he, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, and Kevin Owens. Rollins has been making weekly trips to the main event, and usually ends the show standing strong. However, since he turned face, something has been a little off. He should be the face of Monday Night Raw, but something is just off. Here’s how WWE can save Seth Rollins.
Saving Seth Rollins
Heel
When Seth Rollins was WWE World Heavyweight Champion and a heel, he was one of the more popular guys in the company. Despite his best efforts to be despicable, he was so much fun in the ring and so entertaining on the microphone that people booed him, but almost with a chuckle.
With the Authority slowly souring on Rollins, it seemed like he was well on his way to a natural babyface turn. Even at the Night of Champions pay per view, he wrestled John Cena, then Sting, then he caught a Brogue Kick from Sheamus before being Tombstoned by Kane. If that’s not WWE trying to make you feel sorry for Seth Rollins, I don’t know what is.
Then, as everyone now knows, Rollins blew out his knee, vacated the title, and missed several months. Much to the chagrin of his fans, he came back as a heel yet again. WWE could’ve used that momentum to have him return as the conquering babyface, determined to reclaim his title on his own, but instead he pretty much picked up where he left off.
Eventually Triple H turned on Rollins, literally handing Kevin Owens the WWE Universal Championship, and it seemed as if they had saved his character. He would feud with Triple H, eventually beating him, and cementing his babyface turn. That’s not what happened.
Ambrose-Lite
The WWE didn’t turn Seth Rollins face by having him beat Triple H. There’s no doubt that the two will face off eventually, likely at this year’s WrestleMania, and that Rollins will win, but it’s not the same. The WWE decided to have Rollins turn face the same way he turned heel, by interacting with Roman Reigns.
Reigns was getting beat down by Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens in a steel cage when Rollins bolted down the ramp and rescued him. Sure, everyone popped for the mini-Shield reunion, but WWE dropped the ball. Instead of keeping the two apart, they basically made Seth Rollins become Roman Reigns’ sidekick, like Dean Ambrose was for a while.
Instead of having great matches with other members of the Raw roster, Rollins wrestles either Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, or Chris Jericho every week, and eventually he comes back to aid Roman Reigns whenever he needs help. As annoying as this is, this isn’t the real problem with Seth Rollins as a babyface.
Identity Crisis
When Seth Rollins was a heel, we knew his motivations. He was an egotistical but talented slimeball that would take any shortcut imaginable to win. Like a spoiled rich kid, he felt like he was entitled to everything, and couldn’t see that he was only succeeding because of the Authority. As a babyface, not so much.
At first he did. When he came back, he was dead set on reclaiming the title that he never lost. And as a result of such, he had good, entertaining promos. After a while, it became pretty clear he wasn’t going to be the champion. Sure, he held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for two minutes at Money in the Bank, but Dean Ambrose cashed in immediately after. He would proceed to lose to Ambrose three times, before losing to Finn Balor at SummerSlam.
He just kept losing title matches, and fans began to grow tired because he was still receiving these opportunities via Stephanie McMahon. Then the fatal fourway happened. Triple H turned on Seth Rollins, and finally, the character was given new life. That happened on August 22nd, 2016. Now it’s January of 2017, and Triple H hasn’t been on TV once.
Six Degrees of Kevin Owens
Since Triple H isn’t going to show up on Monday Night Raw every week, that left Seth Rollins with a WrestleMania feud to build by himself. Fortunately, there was an obvious answer. Rollins couldn’t feud with Triple H, so he was going to exact his revenge on the new corporate champion, Kevin Owens. So Rollins went after Owens and the Universal Championship. The only problem is that any time Rollins came close to winning, Chris Jericho would interfere.
So Seth Rollins realized he had to beat Chris Jericho to get to Kevin Owens so he could get to Triple H. This clusterbomb of a feud has been happening since late August. At that time, Dean Ambrose was still WWE Champion. Since then, Ambrose has lost the title to AJ Styles, and Styles has defended it against Ambrose, John Cena, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and yes, James Ellsworth.
How in the world is anyone supposed to get behind Seth Rollins as a major babyface when he’s only beaten Chris Jericho since August? Triple H hasn’t been on TV in almost half a year, and the sole purpose of Rollins’ babyface turn isn’t just stale, it’s expired. Seth Rollins isn’t even in the title picture anymore because Roman Reigns is feuding with Kevin Owens now.
Microwave
So how can WWE save Seth Rollins? They need to get Triple H involved. Seth Rollins isn’t getting any heat from beating Chris Jericho anymore. As much as the WWE Universe love Jericho (some even calling him the greatest of all time), this is the same guy that lost to Fandago at WrestleMania. Beating Jericho doesn’t mean anything anymore.
Rollins needs to get away from Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, and get down to business with Triple H. Maybe the plan is to have Triple H eliminate Seth Rollins from the Royal Rumble, and that’s great, they should definitely do that, but they have to do something. If over, a babyface Seth Rollins is a broken ATM, spewing cash all over the McMahons. He’s got the right look, he can get a great match out of a broom, and the comparisons to Shawn Michaels aren’t unwarranted.
Speaking of Shawn…
The Heartbreak Kid is scheduled to appear on Monday Night Raw this week to promote his movie, “The Resurrection of Gavin Stone”. Who is Shawn Michaels best friends with again? Oh yeah, that Triple H guy. Seth Rollins vs. Shawn Michaels is a dream match, and on Monday Night Raw, they might tease that by having a confrontation between these two. Shawn Michaels is closer to Triple H than Owens anyway, and the WWE can’t afford to let this opportunity slip by.
Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.
The WWE needs to get Seth Rollins back on track. Get him away from this stale, stupid feud, and get him closer to Triple H. If it means more promos with Stephanie McMahon, then fine. But having Rollins pedigree Chris Jericho and save Roman Reigns every week is no way to build a main event superstar. Let Rollins be Rollins, and for the love of god, get him away from Roman Reigns. Reigns is a powerhouse on his own, and he’s devaluing Seth Rollins by treating him like a sidekick.
