5 Moments in Seth Rollins' WWE career that made no sense
Seth Rollins might be on one of the best runs of his career right now, and it has been nearly three years since he last won a world championship. There's no doubt that he has constantly been the #2 star in the company and has been the go-to guy when Roman Reigns wasn't around.
One of the key factors in Rollins constantly being relevant is his ability to reinvent himself. His WWE career has seen him spend six years as a heel (2012 to 2015 and 2019 to present) and three years as a top babyface (2016 to 2019).
He has always made himself relevant, but despite his popularity, talent, and incredible in-ring skills, there has been more than one occasion when WWE has floundered with him and his push.
This list looks at five moments of Seth Rollins' career in chronological order that made no sense:
#5. Seth Rollins' disappearance at Battleground 2015
2015 wasn't the best year for WWE, and it was overall one of the weakest in the PG Era. There seemed to be a creative burnout, but one superstar stood above the rest - Seth Rollins.
To date, 2015 has arguably remained the greatest year of Seth Rollins' individual career as he essentially carried the company on his back. His six-month WWE Championship reign only ended when he suffered a major ACL, MCL, and meniscus tear.
In the middle of his title reign, he was scheduled to defend the title against Brock Lesnar, who he won it from at WrestleMania 31 during the "heist of the century." The build-up was fine, and the match headlined Battleground 2015.
In what was an odd (non) finish, Seth Rollins would disappear at the end of the match while The Undertaker returned to exact revenge on Brock Lesnar from WrestleMania 30 in 2014. While the moment was used to set up the SummerSlam 2015 main event, it made no sense to have Rollins simply disappear the way he did.
#4. Not having Seth Rollins return as a babyface in 2016
If 2015 was the weakest year in the PG Era, 2016 has a strong case for being the best year that WWE had in a long time. The stars had aligned, and new superstars were on the roster to make things fresh.
Despite an average WrestleMania 32, overall, the year turned out to be fantastic. A part of that was due to the return of Seth Rollins, who was badly missed during his time away. He returned from injury at Extreme Rules 2016 after then-world champion Roman Reigns successfully defended his title against AJ Styles for the second show in a row. Seth Rollins' return was a surprise as he pedigreed Roman Reigns and lifted the world title to stake his claim at what he had never lost.
It got a great reaction, and Seth Rollins was sorely missed, so the decision to have him return as a babyface would have been logical, right? Instead, WWE chose to keep him as a heel for three more months before pulling the trigger on a face turn. It was the perfect moment that WWE botched, making no sense.
#3. The feud against Dean Ambrose in 2018
When Roman Reigns announced that he had to take a leave of absence from WWE due to leukemia, an entire fanbase was shocked. Nobody knew what would happen to WWE's top star, and it was a wholesome moment that saw over three-and-a-half years of animosity against him wiped away in a second.
He embraced his Shield brothers Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in an emotional moment. That night on RAW, Rollins, and Ambrose would regain the Tag Team titles, only for Ambrose to turn on his brother. It led to a shocking heel turn, with many questioning WWE's decision to have it happen when it did.
The feud turned out to be a stinker, and their match at TLC 2018 was so bad that even Vince McMahon reportedly got angry about it. Ambrose would later reveal how much he hated the rivalry and what was done to his character. Thankfully, he has had a complete career resurgence in the last three years with AEW.
#2. The feud against The Fiend and the infamous Hell in a Cell match in 2019
This match was so bad that Seth Rollins was literally ready to strangle Vince McMahon. Upon his own admission, Seth Rollins revealed in an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin that producer TJ Wilson (Tyson Kidd) had to hold him back because of how angry he was. This was the fallout from what happened backstage:
"I came through that curtain and I was ready to strangle Vince McMahon. Iām not kidding you, Iām not kidding you. Tyson Kidd, TJ Wilson [WWE producer] was there to hold me back. Dude, I stared right into Vinceās eyes. You know where he sits in that chair over there [backstage]. I looked at him, he looked at me, we didnāt say a single word to each other, and he walked out,ā Rollins said.
Bray Wyatt hilariously replied on Twitter saying, "Wait till you hear my reaction." The entire feud against The Fiend wasn't handled well, and the Hell in a Cell match was doomed from the start.
From the unnecessary red lights to the non-finish that left fans underwhelmed in the main event, WWE did a bad job handling this contest. Both men were in the right to be angry with Vince McMahon, but perhaps not to the point of wanting to strangle him.
The entire bout and the finish made no sense. It's a feud that Rollins and WWE would like you to forget about. If you think about it, it led to Rollins having two of the best Hell in a Cell match in recent memory against Edge (2021) and Cody Rhodes (2022).
#1. Waiting for Seth Rollins to be a RAW Superstar to give him a Universal Championship shot in 2022
Seth Rollins was drafted to SmackDown in October 2020, where he would go on to have an eventful run in the brand. He has always been associated with RAW, and he still is, which is what makes his run on the blue brand interesting.
He put over Cesaro in a great match at WrestleMania and would proceed to get his revenge before having the feud of the year in 2021 against Edge that resulted in an epic trilogy of matches. What was odd was that Seth Rollins was constantly left out of the Universal Championship picture, never once challenging Roman Reigns despite their history together.
When Rollins finally got his title shot, it was in January 2022, when he was already drafted back to RAW, and no challengers were left on SmackDown. It was a bizarre decision, especially when you consider that they stole the show at Royal Rumble 2022 in an incredible Universal Championship match.