Seth Rollins: Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim

Out of the many returns post WrestleMania, the return of Seth Rollins is the one that I have been the most excited about. Recently, WWE did their 24 Special on Seth's road to recover as it was appropriately named "Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim". It was a behind the scenes look into Seth's journey to recovery. His peers from AJ Styles, Kevin Owens to Sami Zayn were all amazed at how exceptional Seth is as a performer. Styles mentioned the story of when he wrestled Rollins 10 years ago. At that time, he knew that Seth would be a big deal. Even though he is a heel, I felt bad not seeing him around for so long. Seth's injury was so severe that he obviously missed out on WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, TX (a record breaking crowd of 101,763). In the special, you can tell that it was eating away as Rollins himself let everyone know. It is sad for anyone who is a top star to lose their momentum with one bad injury. John Cena gave encouragement by saying that Seth will not have to worry about missing WrestleMania like that anymore. He said that Rollins  has many more WrestleManias ahead of him. Cena is right. The footage was tough to watch. Seth's motto is "Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim". In a way, Seth also said it was needed so that he could regroup and appreciate what he already had. Rollins is on a mission to Redesign who he is as a performer. It is time for him to Rebuild that which was broken as he is out to Reclaim the WWE Championship that he did not lose by pinfall or submission. He was the Undisputed MVP last year. Not only was Seth "Superstar of the Year" but he was also the PWI "Wrestler of the Year" as well as "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year". This past week also marked two years since the Shield disbanded. In the aftermath, no one expected Seth to break out the way that he did.

As we quickly approach "Money In the Bank", let's look forward to finally having the chance to see Seth and Roman start the war we have been waiting for. I'm looking forward to big things from Rollins as I expect to see The Architect build something even greater than what he built over the past two years.

Reigns Retains; Rollins Returns

After defeating AJ Styles in yet another phenomenal match (no pun intended), Roman Reigns retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In these two recent battles with Styles, Roman has proven that he has what it takes to dance in a high quality match by bringing his very best as AJ brought his best. Roman proved that he is no slouch despite what the IWC critics say, and that he has improved gradually as an in-ring performer. The match at Payback was very thrilling, even though they had to restart thanks to Shane and Stephanie. However, I would say that this match tops it just because it did not have those interruptions. Roman is truly an athletic stud in the ring, and he let it be known with what he pulled out of his arsenal. He even turned a Razor's Edge into a Sit-Out Powerbomb. This match was a straight-out war. The veteran AJ Styles did the Styles Clash not once but twice and Roman kicked out. I'm not surprised because that is how WWE likes to book someone that they have chosen to be the franchise star. That is why fans are tired of John Cena. Then again, if Roman gets criticized, look how many times Styles kicked out of Roman's signature moves. It's all about adding suspense to the match and telling a story and both of these men did that. The USO's and "The Club" would get involved, but "Super" Roman survived the onslaughts and won with a Spear. This was easily a candidate for "Match of the Year".

I am not the number 1 Roman Reigns fan, but I am willing to give him a chance. I see plenty of upside in him to make it as the Marquee Star that WWE desires him to be. After Roman emerges victorious, Seth Rollins surprises everyone by attacking Reigns from behind. Seth ends the night by giving him the Pedigree. Rollins would stand over his former Shield partner while holding the WWE Championship. The sight of Seth holding the title in the air was reminiscent of when he held the gold high at the end of WrestleMania 31. The fans cheered Seth for attacking Roman, even though Rollins is naturally a heel. Seth colored most of his hair black as he has gotten rid of the "Rogue" hairstyle with the streak in his head. Seth's injury was so severe that he was expected to be out for 9 months going into Summerslam. Instead, he returned in 6 months.

The next night on RAW, Shane McMahon set up the match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Seth missed out on WrestleMania, which was a huge void for the overall match card in spite of the 101,763 fans in attendance that night. I believe that Mania STILL would have reached that number with Rollins healthy.

Either way, I believe WWE still had big plans for Seth going into the Summer. It seems as though Roman has moved on from this chapter with AJ Styles. The feud with Styles was beneficial in the sense that it challenged Roman to improve as an in-ring worker.

Now that this chapter with AJ Styles has come to an end, Roman can now transition to his primary rival, his former brother in The Shield. The match with Seth at Money In the Bank could be the launching pad for bigger matches down the line. This chapter with Rollins is what is "Best for Business" for both Roman and Seth.

2015: Year of the Shield

When you think of 2014-2015, the most frequent players in WWE have been the rising stars of the Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose). Throughout their tenure, these three have made a huge impact in their own way. As the Shield, they were a dominant force to be reckoned with. They left a trail of destruction. From John Cena, The Rock, Undertaker, etc, the Shield spared no one. The Shield won every title except for the WWE Title and the IC Title. Even when the group split, they were still highly featured in storylines. As we know, Roman was the muscle of the group. Ambrose was the voice. Rollins was the workhorse.

Fast forward to 2015, each star has made their own separate mark as singles competitors. With the exception of John Cena, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar, the former Shield members have been the biggest standouts from start to finish. Now, time to take a look at their journeys through the year.

Roman Reigns:

Roman Reigns has been a central figure for the WWE throughout the year. From the time that he won the Royal Rumble, Roman has been under the microscope of the Wrestling Community. Like him or hate him, Reigns has been a talking point. Reigns went from being prematurely positioned as The Rock/John Cena 2.0 by being in the Main Event of WM 31 to enduring a roller coaster ride to the top of the mountain. Fans in Philadelphia booed Roman out of the building when he won the Royal Rumble. Even when The Rock raised his hand, the fans still were not happy because they looked at Roman's journey as too predictable. The fans all across the IWC could clearly see Vince's plans for him to be the face of the company and they rebelled. The backlash against Roman was among the most intense that I ever witnessed for anyone besides John Cena. They felt that WWE was forcing Roman to become a megastar when in their eyes he was not their ideal choice (ex: Daniel Bryan). Like the year before with Batista, the fans were dissatisfied because WWE did not let their Internet Hero Daniel Bryan win the Rumble. Fans even threatened to cancel their Network Subscriptions (how many REALLY did it?). To make matters even worse, Reigns defeated Bryan at Fastlane to keep his spot as number 1 contender for WrestleMania. People that were anti-Roman were only supporting him because they did not want to see Brock Lesnar hold the title any longer. As a result of the heat from the fans, WWE pulled the plug on crowning Roman as WWE Champion. Instead, they pulled the trigger for Seth Rollins to cash in his Money In The Bank Briefcase as he pinned former Shield colleague Roman Reigns to win the WWE Championship. After the carpet was pulled from under his feet at WrestleMania, Reigns participated in the MITB Ladder Match. Instead, Bray Wyatt cost him the match as Sheamus won the Briefcase. During this time, Roman was severely scrutinized by the IWC for his lack of mic skills. They continued to make fun of him and count him out because they thought he was too green. Fans thought he was more style than substance and heavily compared him to Cena. After losing his shot to be the number 1 contender, Roman went into a feud with Bray Wyatt that reached its culmination at Hell In A Cell as Reigns conquered his enemy. Along the way, Roman worked hard to improve himself in the ring as he delivered better quality matches compared to where he was after the Shield split. Many fans still were not satisfied. When Rollins was sidelined due to injury, people started to put their stock in another Ring Of Honor Alum, Kevin Owens. The Roman hate was so out of control that fans cheered when Sheamus cashed in his MITB Briefcase at Survivor Series to defeat him for the Title. I can understand someone supporting a Kevin Owens, but Sheamus?! That is ridiculous. People were so bent on hating everything about Roman that they picked someone who is basically a caricature as WWE Champion. Clearly, Sheamus was not the answer as WWE went back to the drawing board with Reigns. The night after TLC, Roman Reigns wrestled Sheamus in Philadelphia. Vince McMahon booked the match with the stipulation of Reigns being fired if he did not win. So, it was meant for him to win that night. After multiple times of being close and falling short, Roman finally reached the mountain and stayed there. That night, Reigns defeated Sheamus to recapture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Roman won the title in the same building where the fans booed him at the Royal Rumble 11 months earlier. Roman's journey came full circle from winning the Rumble in January to winning the Title in December in the exact same arena. Instead of boos, Roman was greeted with cheers from the crowd. Roman's friend Dean Ambrose and his cousins The USO's came to the ring to celebrate with him. Not to sound like a cliche, but it was great to see this journey reach a happy ending at the end of the year. Losing at WrestleMania turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Reigns, because it gave him time to make adjustments to improve. The WWE probably wanted to test Roman to see how he could handle adversity and he has clearly passed this test. 2015 ends with the rise of the Roman Empire.

Seth Rollins:

The Self-Proclaimed "Architect" of the Shield has enjoyed a banner year as he has built upon his success from last year following the Shield's breakup. Seth entered the year as the MITB Winner with the opportunity to cash in at any event. He was involved in the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble involving Brock Lesnar and John Cena. In that match, Seth brought everything he had to the table and put everyone on notice about his abilities. Even in a loss, he showed how effective he can be in the Main Event. However, Rollins was caught in a controversy earlier in the year when he was caught in a Twitter Scandal. Seth's girlfriend leaked out nude pictures of him on Twitter. He became the Social Media Punchline all around the world. It looked as if the biggest push of Seth's career would be derailed because of this controversy because of how ignorant this mistake was. However, Vince McMahon, Triple H and the higher ups still stuck with their plan of keeping Rollins in their back pocket as future Champion. If this happened to anyone else, their career could be over. Not in the case of Rollins because WWE did not issue any punishment towards him. Instead, Seth apologized on Twitter. Even though Seth was not punished, this was a lesson for him to "Keep his Money In the Bank". Fast forward to WrestleMania. WWE is in panic mode from the outrage of the fans towards Roman Reigns. At the last minute, they push the Panic button by sending Rollins to the WWE Title Match to cash in his Briefcase. Seth delivers the Curb Stomp to Roman as he pins him to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It was a crowning moment and a form of redemption for Rollins as he closed the show holding the WWE Crown above his head. It created the spark that WrestleMania needed to create headlines for their main event. WrestleMania is all about the unexpected and this was the right moment. Rollins would fight off challengers from Dean Ambrose to Randy Orton. However, the big issue that faced Seth was how he was made to look weaker with J & J Security and Kane bailing him out. It made him look like he could not win any of his battles on his own. It felt like WWE was going to have them by his side forever to cover him. Rollins always had the ability, but the booking was weak. To make things worse, WWE banned the Curb Stomp. Instead, he had to use the Pedigree. Seth was becoming one of the heel champions that was made to look weak instead of looking strong while cheating. (Ric Flair, Edge, etc) Things changed when Brock Lesnar stepped into the picture and destroyed J&J Security and Kane. Seth proceeded to turn on Kane going into his title defense with Brock at Battleground. Once the chains came off and Rollins was on his own, his matches could be more respected. Seth's match with Brock ended in No Contest as Undertaker returned. Seth's next opponent was John Cena. Rollins had a fantastic match with Cena at Summerslam as he defeated him for the US Championship, making him the WWE World Champion and US Champion. Seth's reign as US Champion was short lived as Cena defeated him at Night Of Champions to win back the title. On the other hand, Rollins defeated Sting that same night to keep the WWE Title. Rollins would defeat Kane at Hell In A Cell to remain Champion. At this rate, it seemed as if he could have broken CM Punk's record of 434 Days as WWE Champion (I was supporting him). Unfortunately, Seth's reign came to an end thanks to an injury at a House Show during a match with Kane. Rollins spent 221 Days as WWE Champion. Nonetheless, Seth enjoyed an outstanding year. For much of the year, Seth was World Champion and dominated the Main Event Storylines. He proved that he could perform an outstanding match even in the midst of poor storylines and booking in between. When J&J Security were taken away, Rollins was able to shine brighter and carry himself better as Champion.

Dean Ambrose:

Dean Ambrose has been on quite a roller coaster in 2015. Early in the year, Ambrose was in the chase for the Intercontinental Title. The booking was awful (as usual lately) with multiple wrestlers stealing the title from R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, Bad News Barrett to Ambrose himself. This was to set up for the IC Title Ladder Match at WrestleMania 31. Daniel Bryan ultimately won the title, but would forfeit due to injury. Dean would then set his sights on John Cena's US Title as he entered the Open Challenge. From the time that the Shield split, Dean could not win a Pay Per View Match. Finally, he defeated Luke Harper at Extreme Rules. Dean would then have a great match with former Shield member Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber. Ambrose nearly had the match won, but Rollins got himself disqualified for shoving the referee. At Payback, Ambrose wrestled in a Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Championship that included Seth Rollins (Champion), Randy Orton and Roman Reigns. Dean would soon team with Roman Reigns to feud with the revamped version of the Wyatt Family (w/Braun Stroman). At Night of Champions, Dean and Roman added Chris Jericho as their mystery partner. However, they would lose to the Wyatt Family. When Seth Rollins vacated the WWE Title due to injury, Dean joined the Survivor Series tournament for the vacated title. Ambrose would lose to Roman Reigns in the finals. Ambrose recently became the number one contender for the IC Title as he feuded with Kevin Owens. At TLC, Ambrose defeated Owens to become the new Intercontinental Champion. 

In August 2014, WWE Network aired a special about each of the Shield members on the start of their singles journey since they disbanded. This would lead up to Summerslam. Their was also a DVD called "The Destruction of the Shield". Dean Ambrose himself said that they would own this business. So far, you can say that they have owned 2015. Collectively, they have dominated. On their own, they are on their journey to greatness. I have always been a fan of the Shield, and I would like to see them do great things on their own. 

Seth Rollins: Best For Business

Now that the WrestleMania Madness is over, I would like to give my assessment on Seth Rollins becoming the NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Throughout 2014, Rollins has been the most consistent workhorse not only in the Shield, but also on the roster. Rollins was the silent assassin of the group that you would least expect to make the most noise. From the time that the Shield split up, Seth has been poised for the highest ceiling beside Roman Reigns. However, Seth did create a roadblock for himself with his Twitter fiasco. As everyone knows, Rollins pulled his "Money Out of the Bank" for the world to see and came under intense fire as others posted the pictures on FB, Instagram as well as Twitter. Looks like Seth took "Rated R Superstar" to a whole different level. I don't think that is what Edge meant when he said that he was passing the torch. Fortunately, WWE swept it under the rug, as Rollins did not face a severe punishment. Vince McMahon has dealt with things much worse than this and saw enough in Seth not to put him the doghouse. What Rollins did was foolish, but he was saved. This is something that he will never live down. In spite of that, I still believed in Seth to do incredible things. Seth's cash in at Mania further validates me giving him the "Wrestler of the Year" Award in my Year End Review. Much like his predecessor Randy Orton in Evolution, Seth has become the Diamond of the Authority and of the Future for WWE. This adds the biggest dynamic to this rivalry. Like many people, I was skeptical about the breakup of the Shield. Since they have been disbanded, you can see some of the cracks in the armor of the members.

Dean Ambrose:

Dean Ambrose has been on a horrendous losing streak at Pay Per Views, in spite of his popularity. However, being "over with the fans" can only get you so far when you are on the verge of making the climb up the ladder. When you are just making a name for yourself, any and every PPV win is crucial. If you are Shawn Michaels or Chris Jericho, it really doesn't matter. Even though Dean has had high profile feuds with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt, he came out on the losing end in both feuds. If you think that Bray Wyatt's stock has been falling, you got another thing coming. At least Wyatt has defeated Y2J at Summerslam. Ambrose has 0 victories in Big Matches. Following the feud with Bray, Ambrose gets put into the Intercontinental Title picture. While it may seem admirable, it was not the best position to put him in when you have someone like Daniel Bryan in the mix as well. Also, when you look at recent history, IC Champions have been on a losing streak (Ziggler, Barrett). With that said, clearly Dean is not the guy that WWE has the biggest plans for. In the group, Ambrose was perfect as the mouthpiece. On his own, we can all see the flaws. Ambrose is a combination of Brian Pillman, Roddy Piper, and Terry Funk but has the losing streak of Tommy Dreamer. I look forward to seeing WWE turn things around for him.

Roman Reigns:

Roman Reigns seemed destined to be Vince's new Golden Boy because of his image. Many fans have not been very welcoming of Roman, because of those qualities along with his lack of charisma. Much of the backlash comes from the fact that Roman seems out of place when he opens up his mouth. I want to see him succeed to carry on the tradition, but the guy cannot talk his way out of a paper bag. His promos were clearly forced by the Powers that Be in Titan Towers. However, Roman was on a streak of his own after the Shield's Destruction. He was in the MITB Ladder Match for the WWE/WHC, that was later won by John Cena. He scored the biggest win of his career at this point over Randy Orton at Summerslam. However, Roman's in-ring flaws have been greatly exposed when he does not have two workhorses covering them. Unfortunately, Roman's push was derailed as a result of an injury. He would return just in time to win "Superstar of the Year", which is when the hatred from the fans was amplified even more. The level of disdain towards Reigns was turned up to maximum levels at the Royal Rumble when he was vilified. Then, his flaws become even more glaring when he puts his Number 1 Contender Spot on the line against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. Finally, we get to WrestleMania 31 and the show was destined to become a critical disaster among fans and critics because of the Main Event (Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns). If the Royal Rumble was bad, WrestleMania was even worse. Brock was cheered throughout the entire match as he beat Roman's brains in. Then as Lesnar is ready to finish things off, Seth's music hits.

Seth Rollins:

Rollins comes in to save the show, in a way that would make Edge very proud. In Edge like fashion, Seth cashes in as the opportunist to ride off into the sunset as the new Champion. Rollins was the darkhorse of this match, because of the Briefcase. Many thought it were best for Roman to win, then have Seth cash in after Mania. However, Vince had to pull the trigger to keep the show from ending in destruction. WrestleMania 31 was reaching WM 11 and WM 29 levels in terms of how bad it would be received. Thankfully, that did not happen. Seth's night was similar to Bret Hart's story at WrestleMania 10. At the start of the show, Bret lost to Owen. By the end of the night, Bret defeated Yokozuna to become WWF Champion. Fast forward 21 years later. Seth loses to Randy Orton with an RKO that became the highlight of the show. By the end of the night, Rollins leaves Mania as the Champion. The best part about this cash in is that Brock Lesnar was never pinned, which still makes him look strong. Rollins was already very impressive in his Triple Threat Match with Lesnar & Cena at The Royal Rumble. The feud with Rollins and Randy Orton has been heating up since Orton's return. Seth and Randy had a classic to kick off Mania. Speaking of one of Seth's other predecessors, Edge himself lost to Ric Flair earlier at New Year's Revolution in 2006 before cashing in on John Cena to become the new WWE Champion. Seth Rollins is poised to become the quintessential ring general of this era. Rollins is a great combination of Edge, Shawn Michaels, and a Prime Randy Savage remixed into 2015. His ring style and image have each of their names written all over. Rollins has a coolness about him that separates him from someone like Dolph Ziggler. With Rollins, I feel like there is a purpose in watching him. He has substance behind him and does not overdo it with his selling. At first, I thought he looked like a rejected version of X-23. He almost reminds me of General Zod, lol. Seriously, Seth's attire fits him perfectly. Seth's psychology, timing in the ring and brilliance in the ring are what make him very special. He may not be a Pipe Bomb dropping legend like CM Punk, but his mic skills are acceptable. Rollins is the right choice to fill the void that CM Punk left. With the right head on his shoulders, Seth could even be a better champion and more accomplished star than Punk himself. What Savage and HBK were to their respective eras, I look forward to Seth Rollins being the premiere in-ring performer and Showstopper for the next 10+ years. Rollins may have skipped the IC Title for now, but he will be the standard that other performers will be measured by. That is Best for Business.