WWE Has a Seth Rollins Problem
After his outrageous entrance during Night 1 of WrestleMania 39, there is no doubt Seth Rollins is one of WWE's hottest Superstars.
Pro wrestling is unlike any other form of entertainment because it creates a unique relationship between its performers and the audience. For months, The Visionary has acted as the conductor for his devoted fans as they sing his theme song, and the chorus grows louder every time he graces the squared circle.
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There's a magical connection between the best in-ring talent or the most provocative talkers and the fans. Sometimes, viewers are captivated by their sheer talent or charisma, but it's often about timing or the right presentation. Maybe, that one well-placed gesture or snappy catchphrase abruptly hits its mark.
From time to time, someone's appeal seemingly doesn't make sense, but it happens so organically that you don't have any choice but to run with it. For example, who would have guessed that Rusev Day would take off the way it did and create a groundswell of support for The Bulgarian Brute? Last year, Sami Zayn had the WWE Universe chanting "Ucey."
Rollins is a gifted in-ring performer. He's a deft high-flyer with a move set that could astound hardcore indie wrestling fans and the poise to compete with the best the industry has to offer.
His current character work may not intrigue some staunch critics of WWE's brand of sports entertainment, but he has consistently remained popular with the company and caught lightning in a bottle even after some would say his career peaked.
Wrestling in its rawest form is all about the call and response, and he has magnified that dynamic as he encourages live audiences to sing his theme tune.
The boisterous response to his conducting pattern in the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales was one of the highlights of Clash at the Castle in September. It wouldn't be a stretch to say it will go down as one of the signature moments in his storied career.
As such, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles would come alive for the four-time world champion as he made his way down to the ring and greeted his choir of onlookers at WrestleMania 39.
Rollins continues to garner a great reaction on Monday nights and delivers excellent television and pay-per-view matches. So, it's a bit surprising that WWE hasn't capitalized on his work and relied on him as a main eventer again. But the company has a track record of wasting a moment or stubbornly pushing back against the demand for a hot act like Rusev.
Nevertheless, the consummate company man has spent the past few years playing his part to help others race up the card while he's seemingly at a standstill.
Rollins has been an effective heel and instrumental in raising the profile of the United States Championship again, but he has outgrown that role.
Perrenial Second Fiddle or Miscast Superstar
It isn't hard to tell Rollins has grown frustrated with his position in WWE.
Last year, he casually stated "I've never been the guy" during an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport. It may have come off as just a cavalier moment of honesty, but there is some truth to the notion that he always appeared to be a placeholder until Roman Reigns could grab the baton.
His Shield stablemate is the No. 1 priority, and that couldn't be any clearer right now. That isn't to say The Tribal Chief hasn't earned his spot or he isn't the ideal choice to be the face of WWE. Nonetheless, he has unintentionally cast a large shadow over Rollins' career.
To that end, it's hard to insert Rollins back into the world title picture when Reigns has had both the WWE and universal belts under lock and key for a year.
Outside of Bobby Lashley, no one on the roster has suffered more due to the lack of a top prize on Raw than Rollins. The circumstances have left him languishing in the midcard or overstaying his welcome in a feud.
No matter how popular he gets or how loud the fans serenade him, the 36-year-old has reached a ceiling. This makes it even more confusing that he isn't a top contender. After all, he won his match against The Head of the Table at the Royal Rumble in 2022 via disqualification and hasn't received a rematch.
There is undoubtedly interest in another showdown between the two, but WWE looked over him last year for yet another matchup with Brock Lesnar. The company continues to pursue a marquee match with The Rock when Rollins has been working tirelessly all year for the same opportunity.
Untapped Ambitions Lead To Misplaced Frustration
You could feel the resentment and ambition during his recent sitdown with Daniel Cormier for ESPN MMA. During their discussion ahead of WrestleMania 39, he opened up about the rumored tension between him and Cody Rhodes.
"I can't get into that. So many details on that. There is a level of truth to that. The bottom line is, I feel, based on my body of work and what I've contributed to this company over the course of this last decade, really, I should be in that position, right? I'm the one who has held it down while he drifted off and went and did his own thing, respect to him for that, great. He drifted off and did his own thing. I'm the one who held it down whenever everybody got hurt or did something else or went off or took part-time schedules or wanted to do less and ask for more or wanted to go somewhere else because they weren't happy."
"You don't think there have been plenty of times where I haven't been happy or plenty of times where I haven't felt like I've been on the short end of the stick? There are tons of stories I could tell about that, but I don't, I keep it to myself. I put my head down, I work hard, I vouch for this company. I vouch for this place. I feel like what he's getting is not…I'm just not entirely comfortable with it. That just creates some natural friction between the two of us. So, when tempers flare, tempers flare. You know how it goes sometimes. There is a little truth to that, but I can't get into too many details. There is some level of mutual respect, there has to be in this industry, but at the same time, there's animosity as well."
It may be easy to write this off as an act or a perfect way to keep his rivalry with Rhodes going. However, there was some emotion behind those words that made it feel a bit more candid than that.
Sure, one could say Rollins comes off as entitled or bitter, but he does make some valid points. He was arguably the MVP for WWE last year, and what does he have to show for it?
He won his match against Logan Paul on The Grandest Stage of Them All, but his segment was cut short on Raw last week, and he didn't appear on Monday's episode outside of a vignette.
Hopefully, there are plans to utilize Rollins better this year, but his apparent impatience is understandable. He has been a key figure for so long, and he is due for another run at the world title. At the very least, it's time to make another attempt at a push as a top babyface.
It has been almost four years since the last effort crashed and burned after his encounter with The Fiend, and he's debatably more popular than ever. He has worked hard to mold himself into The Visionary and recover from that period of his career.
Frankly, Rollins is too talented to stay on this trajectory, and WWE can't ignore the chorus of devotion for much longer.
