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Seth Rollins should dethrone Roman Reigns.
It’s a simple statement likely uttered by many pro wrestling fans at one point or another. Simple at face value, but extremely complex in its depth when pondering the historical and storyline connections and current proof.
And the proof is downright overwhelming.
Rollins might just be the most organically over wrestler in the sport right now. Fans can hoot and holler about LA Knight’s Rock-Lite promos and CM Punk’s re-return, but it’s all about Rollins.
Those are very specific comparisons, too. The man, after all, just earned an episode of NXT 773,000 viewers, the highest total for the show in two years and the highest placement for the show ever in the 18-49 demographic. His title defense against Bronn Breakker flirted with the one-million mark at one point, too.
Knight is fun and Punk’s return on the debut episode of Collision put up big numbers too, albeit with possible diminishing returns from here—not every week is going to be the big return week.
Call it organic proof Rollins is the one. NXT is a brand that has been the distant third by quite a lot for a long time and when positioned against AEW directly, got slapped around. Rollins goes down once and it sets records.
It’s just another in a string of many successes for Rollins. This is a guy who, only a few years ago, had to dramatically change up his character because of that ill-fated feud with Bray Wyatt and The Fiend persona and initially had a hard time sticking a landing while teaming with Becky Lynch before really finding traction again.
But once he established traction, he was a rocket to outer space again, elevating anyone he worked with while winning over crowds no matter whether he was trying to play heel or otherwise. This, while straddled with the fact that he probably deserved a top title, only to sit in the purgatory brand while Reigns hogged both.
Now Rollins has a top title…but why stop there? Fans don’t need a super in-depth explanation as to why he, historically speaking going back to The Shield days, should be the one to beat Reigns.
Technically speaking, Rollins is the lone guy to get a “win” over Reigns during this historic run, the disqualification win at Royal Rumble in 2022. And what happened there? Rollins got in Reigns’ head (even wearing Shield gear), made him lose his composure and ultimately caused the end result.
That’s a common theme of every time the two have run into each other, even when it’s something as simple as the two walking by each other on the entrance ramp—Seth cackles, playing the mind games he knows he can because of his role in Reigns’ career to date. Keep in mind not only the betrayal and ending of The Shield, but that cash-in moment at WrestleMania 31, as the big exclamation points.
Storyline-wise, it all fits too well. If WWE doesn’t view Jey Uso as “worthy” of the moment that is ending a 1,000-plus day reign and one of the best pro wrestling stories ever and wants something that hits closer to the family-based story instead of a random Cody Rhodes reappearance, Rollins is the no-brainer.
One glance at the calendar makes it make even more sense. Reigns continues to get wrapped up in a feud with Jimmy and Jey Uso through SummerSlam, at some point possibly looping in Solo Sikoa as a major threat too. Meanwhile, Rollins serves as a fighting champion and maybe gets cashed-in on successfully over the summer or in the fall. By then, it’s time to start thinking about WrestleMania 40, where Rollins could dethrone Reigns.
Rollins’ ascension and taking down Reigns wouldn’t just look amazing for the history books when viewed through the long-term. It wouldn’t just appease all sorts of fans, casual and the hardcore who greatly care about those historical items. It would also serve as a proof of concept to the entire locker room and even free agents that if they can get over in WWE, they will get rewarded, given all the meh Rollins had to wade through to get back to this point.
Much of this was already lurking beneath the surface. Rollins always made sense as a top option to beat Reigns. Many might argue he’s the only one who made sense this entire time. But the stunning run he’s on now, capped off by doing the near-impossible and elevating NXT, is almost him cackling and bragging his way into proving he’s the only option for the spot that will end Reigns’ run.
In this sense, Rollins, the man once known as the Architect, sure seems to be following the perfect blueprint that will get him in position to dethrone Reigns, entering another chapter in one of the best rivalries and connected fates the sport has ever seen.
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