In one night, WWE took its hottest babyface act in the Hounds Of Justice and deconstructed it in hopes of formulating three young, individual breakout stars capable of carrying the multi-million company into the future.
It was unknown as to whether Rollins could do well as the weasel heel character, but we can certainly say in retrospect it worked out for the best.
Of the three, Rollins was the one who was often overlooked for the likes of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, with both being touted as authentic future World Champions. Well, in the year since The Shield's split, he's proven the naysayers wrong by becoming the first former member to capture the prestigious prize.
After his debut as part of The Shield, Seth Rollins betrayed his partners to work for himself. Buoyed by COO Triple H, The Architect spent plenty of time addressing the audience with The Authority, improving greatly as a result.
Seth Rollins, the Architect and eventual destroyer of The Shield, stole the most prestigious prize on offer away from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, and became WWE's top star in the process.
Capturing the world title by pinning Reigns--1,2,3--would have been enough to turn many WWE Superstars face in front of the raucous 76,976 capacity audience, but the way he cashed-in helped build the credibility of his weasel heel character.
The victory was testament to the hard work Rollins' had put in. A cash-in attempt had never occurred at The Grandest Stage Of Them All, and the fact that the honor was bestowed on the former Money In The Bank briefcase holder showed the support he had backstage.
Not only had he been the focal point of many top storylines several months prior, but the company also put its most prestigious prize on the Davenport, IA Rollins at WrestleMania 31, which proves that the people calling the shots have supreme confidence in the 29-year-old athlete.
Rollins pinned Reigns to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and in truth—hasn't slowed down since.
The Davenport, IA Rollins, has left almost every challenger in his wake on both TV and pay-per-view events. A plethora of opponents have fallen behind the arrogant heel.
One of the largest elephants in the room prior to his cash-in was Rollins' Money In The Bank briefcase. When in the world was a smart heel, going to try to rip the strap from Brock Lesnar, the "1" in 22-1 and conqueror of John Cena?
In the main event of WrestleMania, of course.
Rollins' character has shown time-and-time-again to be an easy-to-underestimate heel. The script has him lose, scatter like a roach or stumble along as Champion, but the warning signs of his pure-and-utter genius, such as tearing apart The Shield, foreshadowed such a maneuver. Rather than wait to take on a single competitor, Rollins struck after Brock Lesnar delivered a lengthy buffeting to Roman Reigns. The tide had started to turn in the challenger's favor.
The Architect played his cards just right for the ultimate shock: the first Money In The Bank briefcase cash-in attempt at WrestleMania. It's what the best cowardly heels do. They strike at the opportune time when the odds are heavy in their favor and succeed.
Even the then-heel, Paul Heyman, while visibly angry at his client Brock Lesnar, likely felt a shred of appreciation for the pure-and-utter genius of the move.
Rollins is the perfect heel. He's only 28. As Champion, he leads the charge of the next generation of WWE Superstars. With too much focus on Rollins' cowardice rather than his craftiness, his reliance on stooges (currently on the shelf) than the sharpness of his own fangs, WWE has gutted the power of his title reign.
But he's a tactician the main event scene hasn't seen since Punk walked out the door.
The co-main event for SummerSlam this year will see WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins square off against United States Champion John Cena in a title-for-title bout.
It's likely the ending will get convoluted. After all, neither man should hold both titles, so the title-for-title bout ending in disqualification due to interference from Money In The Bank briefcase holder Sheamus is the best course of action. Should the Irish brawler successfully cash-in? No.
Let's look at it from a different perspective, though, and the situation is more clear. Should Cena lose his US title at SummerSlam? Most certainly not. Should Rollins lose his WWE title at SummerSlam? Most certainly not.
On one hand, we have John Cena, who has been an alchemist with the WWE United States Championship in hand, turning just a basic leather strap of middling value into a treasured golden prize.
He has played the lion, the US title the chunk of meat in his mouth and the Open Challenge the chance for a would-be alpha male to snatch it from him. The inherent drama, the string of quality bouts and the opportunity to elevate breakout stars made this concept an intelligent one. Ever since the 15-time World Champion got the gold in March, he has elevated this title to a place it hasn't been for an aeon, and has associated the strap with quality title defenses and excellent promos.
This has been the crux of his reign. The title feels a symbol of opportunity. A brass ring waiting to be grabbed by somebody. Applying his usual verbal skills, charisma and heartfelt delivery, he's provided his time as Champion with a number of memorable speeches.
His near-weekly Open Challenges have consistently led to some of the best in-ring work each night--Cena flourished opposite against Neville, Stardust, Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett and Sami Zayn in one-off-battles. Thank a wealth of defenses and John's ability to deliver big performances time and time again.
On the other, Seth Rollins--the irredeemable baddie--the man who betrayed his brothers to buy into success has done just that. His five-month duration as Champion to date proves the WWE Creative Team's faith in its star man.
An excellent athlete, the 29-year-old is quick, muscular, elusive and possesses an impressive skill-set and adaptability to fly high, one of Rollins' signature moves coincidentally an awe-inspiring moonsault corkscrew 450' splash from the top rope.
The Iowa third-generation superstar has good entrance music, continually churns out classics and has mastered his arrogant, delusional character. Rollins has evolved since WrestleMania, shown himself to be a tremendous cowardly heel and heads on an upward trajectory on the microphone.
As of his WrestleMania triumph, Rollins is the top heel on the active roster. With Brock Lesnar all-but babyface, and Triple H and Stephanie not considered Superstars for the most part, Rollins is the most loathed man in the company who wrestles on a regular basis.
That's a lot of weight for a 29-year-old prodigy to shoulder, but he can handle it.
Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if Rollins held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship past SummerSlam. A five-month title reign for a first-time Champion sounds about right, because it's not a fluke, but then again it's not necessarily a dynasty. If Rollins does retain the title, however, it will definitely be by crook.
That's been the story of his reign.
In a perfect world, Vince, Hunter and Co. will unearth a synopsis where both John "U Can't C Knee" Cena and Seth Rollins leave the biggest event of the summer with their respective titles. Disqualification would obviously be disappointing but it wouldn't spoil the pay-per-view as its own merits. A time-limit draw. An unsuccessful cash-in attempt from Sheamus. A surprise appearance from a major star that balances stuff out. No matter what as long as both reigns continue. Rollins' in particular.
More: SummerSlam predictions
Column: Lesnar must win
SummerSlam: 10 things to expect
It was unknown as to whether Rollins could do well as the weasel heel character, but we can certainly say in retrospect it worked out for the best.
Of the three, Rollins was the one who was often overlooked for the likes of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, with both being touted as authentic future World Champions. Well, in the year since The Shield's split, he's proven the naysayers wrong by becoming the first former member to capture the prestigious prize.
After his debut as part of The Shield, Seth Rollins betrayed his partners to work for himself. Buoyed by COO Triple H, The Architect spent plenty of time addressing the audience with The Authority, improving greatly as a result.
Seth Rollins, the Architect and eventual destroyer of The Shield, stole the most prestigious prize on offer away from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, and became WWE's top star in the process.
Capturing the world title by pinning Reigns--1,2,3--would have been enough to turn many WWE Superstars face in front of the raucous 76,976 capacity audience, but the way he cashed-in helped build the credibility of his weasel heel character.
Not only had he been the focal point of many top storylines several months prior, but the company also put its most prestigious prize on the Davenport, IA Rollins at WrestleMania 31, which proves that the people calling the shots have supreme confidence in the 29-year-old athlete.
Rollins pinned Reigns to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and in truth—hasn't slowed down since.
The Davenport, IA Rollins, has left almost every challenger in his wake on both TV and pay-per-view events. A plethora of opponents have fallen behind the arrogant heel.
One of the largest elephants in the room prior to his cash-in was Rollins' Money In The Bank briefcase. When in the world was a smart heel, going to try to rip the strap from Brock Lesnar, the "1" in 22-1 and conqueror of John Cena?
In the main event of WrestleMania, of course.
Rollins' character has shown time-and-time-again to be an easy-to-underestimate heel. The script has him lose, scatter like a roach or stumble along as Champion, but the warning signs of his pure-and-utter genius, such as tearing apart The Shield, foreshadowed such a maneuver. Rather than wait to take on a single competitor, Rollins struck after Brock Lesnar delivered a lengthy buffeting to Roman Reigns. The tide had started to turn in the challenger's favor.
The Architect played his cards just right for the ultimate shock: the first Money In The Bank briefcase cash-in attempt at WrestleMania. It's what the best cowardly heels do. They strike at the opportune time when the odds are heavy in their favor and succeed.
Even the then-heel, Paul Heyman, while visibly angry at his client Brock Lesnar, likely felt a shred of appreciation for the pure-and-utter genius of the move.
But he's a tactician the main event scene hasn't seen since Punk walked out the door.
The co-main event for SummerSlam this year will see WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins square off against United States Champion John Cena in a title-for-title bout.
It's likely the ending will get convoluted. After all, neither man should hold both titles, so the title-for-title bout ending in disqualification due to interference from Money In The Bank briefcase holder Sheamus is the best course of action. Should the Irish brawler successfully cash-in? No.
Let's look at it from a different perspective, though, and the situation is more clear. Should Cena lose his US title at SummerSlam? Most certainly not. Should Rollins lose his WWE title at SummerSlam? Most certainly not.
On one hand, we have John Cena, who has been an alchemist with the WWE United States Championship in hand, turning just a basic leather strap of middling value into a treasured golden prize.
He has played the lion, the US title the chunk of meat in his mouth and the Open Challenge the chance for a would-be alpha male to snatch it from him. The inherent drama, the string of quality bouts and the opportunity to elevate breakout stars made this concept an intelligent one. Ever since the 15-time World Champion got the gold in March, he has elevated this title to a place it hasn't been for an aeon, and has associated the strap with quality title defenses and excellent promos.
This has been the crux of his reign. The title feels a symbol of opportunity. A brass ring waiting to be grabbed by somebody. Applying his usual verbal skills, charisma and heartfelt delivery, he's provided his time as Champion with a number of memorable speeches.
His near-weekly Open Challenges have consistently led to some of the best in-ring work each night--Cena flourished opposite against Neville, Stardust, Dean Ambrose, Bad News Barrett and Sami Zayn in one-off-battles. Thank a wealth of defenses and John's ability to deliver big performances time and time again.
On the other, Seth Rollins--the irredeemable baddie--the man who betrayed his brothers to buy into success has done just that. His five-month duration as Champion to date proves the WWE Creative Team's faith in its star man.
The Iowa third-generation superstar has good entrance music, continually churns out classics and has mastered his arrogant, delusional character. Rollins has evolved since WrestleMania, shown himself to be a tremendous cowardly heel and heads on an upward trajectory on the microphone.
As of his WrestleMania triumph, Rollins is the top heel on the active roster. With Brock Lesnar all-but babyface, and Triple H and Stephanie not considered Superstars for the most part, Rollins is the most loathed man in the company who wrestles on a regular basis.
That's a lot of weight for a 29-year-old prodigy to shoulder, but he can handle it.
Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if Rollins held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship past SummerSlam. A five-month title reign for a first-time Champion sounds about right, because it's not a fluke, but then again it's not necessarily a dynasty. If Rollins does retain the title, however, it will definitely be by crook.
That's been the story of his reign.
In a perfect world, Vince, Hunter and Co. will unearth a synopsis where both John "U Can't C Knee" Cena and Seth Rollins leave the biggest event of the summer with their respective titles. Disqualification would obviously be disappointing but it wouldn't spoil the pay-per-view as its own merits. A time-limit draw. An unsuccessful cash-in attempt from Sheamus. A surprise appearance from a major star that balances stuff out. No matter what as long as both reigns continue. Rollins' in particular.
More: SummerSlam predictions
Column: Lesnar must win
SummerSlam: 10 things to expect
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