WWE isn’t always consistent with the way they treat their top stars who aren’t named Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, or Charlotte Flair. Inconsistencies come and go, making certain stars feel directionless and at times, afterthoughts. Or in the worst cases, they have a meaningless story for months upon months that hurt their star power all the more. Their appearances become reactionless and often times that leads to a character change away from what once made them so great in the first place. Take Bayley for example. She was everything and more during her time in NXT but by the time she got to year two on Monday Night Raw, she was just another star in the back. It forced the ultimate babyface to become the ultimate heel, makeover and all. Even the three wrestlers we named prior have dealt with this on numerous occasions. It takes time, but they always, at the very least, get back to the top. All of this back and forth brings us to Seth Rollins.
Rollins has done everything there is to be done in a WWE ring. Multiple world titles, Grand Slam Champion, Money in the Bank winner, Royal Rumble winner; the list goes on and on. For the most part in all that success, Rollins has also managed to reimagine himself on multiple occasions from a member of The Shield to being “The Man” of The Authority, his run as “Monday Night Rollins” and “The Messiah.” All very different but all giving him the ability to make it his own. The reason these reimaginings have had to happen, though, is because of the continuous stops and starts in his career.
As “The Messiah,” a character he used to transform himself, he feuded with two people within a year. Kevin Owens at the beginning and a never-ending, eye-puncturing feud with Rey and Dominik Mysterio that made the creative character stale over time. It’s the problem all over again and Rollins knows it all too well. “The Messiah” was great and felt like a main event push waiting to happen. Then it never did. It was time to rebuild (again) and he may have been able to find the one to bring him glory once more.
The current version of Seth Rollins, however, might be the most intriguing. Calling himself “The Visionary,” Rollins has combined every bit of his previous characters while adding a mix of absurdity and cringe to give it a whole new flavor. It took a while but it is working.
Cringeworthy outfits, over-the-top dancing, and theme music combining his original and “Messiah” song have made him this odd but interesting character to follow. His cackling laugh that has become a signature of his made a return once he became “The Visionary” and somehow, despite all this insanity that he’s made a part of his persona, the fans are beginning to get behind him as he prepares for his biggest singles match in years against Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. All you needed to do was watch last week’s SmackDown to know that this schtick he has been running with is naturally getting over. Maybe it’s due to him using truth in his rivalry with Reigns, bringing up the greatness of The Shield, and how “The Tribal Chief” cannot beat him one-on-one. Or maybe, just maybe, the fans want to cheer for him again.
There’s something about a theme song getting sung back to the wrestler that feels like someone is getting over. As Seth Rollins made his entrance last Friday, fans let the arena flow with “oooooh, oh, oh, oh” as the colorful dressing oddball took to the ring against The Usos. What has also become noticeable is that Rollins hasn’t appeared to be this good in the ring since before his knee injury. Everything about him feels like Seth “Freakin” Rollins again. The confidence is back, the character is hitting on all gears, and he is one step away from being world champion once again in his career.
There’s an unlikelihood that “The Visionary” wins the Universal Championship on Saturday night, but who is to say he can’t? Rollins is one of very few to beat Brock Lesnar in title matches on multiple occasions. He’s the reason Roman Reigns didn’t have his crowning moment at WrestleMania 31. Anytime Rollins gets a fair opportunity, he rises to the occasion. Whether he walks out as Universal Champion or not, he’s on his way to being a huge fan favorite all over again.
When your hitting on all cylinders as a character, in the ring, and on the microphone, it often leads to success. 2022 may unexpectedly become the year of Seth “Freakin” Rollins.
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