Analysing how effectively WWE has used Seth Rollins since 2012
It’s been almost three years now since Seth Rollins has been on the main roster, and by three years, it actually means three whole years with no breaks.
Rollins hasn’t missed a single Raw since his debut, and with the way WWE uses him now, it doesn’t look like he’ll be missing one anytime soon. If that record does remain intact until November 18th, Seth Rollins would have gone three straight years without taking a day off.
Given that, one has to wonder how well WWE has utilised Rollins, and this article looks ar precisely that. It is to be noted that this is opinionated, and anyone can have a different take on the matter.
The introduction
This article does not consider anything of Rollins during his days in the Independent circuit or his time in NXT.
Seth Rollins debuted as part of arguably one of the most popular stables of all time, The Shield (Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta), along with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.
Their introduction to the mainstream audience came at Survivor Series 2012, where they attacked Ryback and allowed CM Punk to pin John Cena and retain his WWE Championship in their Triple Threat match. Even though The Shield denied working for Punk, they continued to protect him, suspiciously and attack anybody who Punk had to deal with. Their debut match came at TLC that year, where they defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in a breathtaking match.
They interrupted in the main event of the Royal Rumble 2013 and attacked The Rock. That match was restarted, however, and The Brahma Bull won the WWE Championship.
After Paul Heyman, Punk’s manager at the time, admitted that he was paying The Shield, the trio faded away from them and feuded with Sheamus, Ryback and John Cena, who they defeated at Elimination Chamber. They would continue to feud with Sheamus, into WrestleMania 29 where they defeated him, along with The Big Show and Randy Orton, in the opening match of the night.
Initial championships and domination
It was after this that The Shield began to taste gold. Up until this point, WWE made them look especially cohesive and unbeatable, quite literally, as they were not pinned or made to be submitted. It was logical that they needed some titles, and all three men won championships at Extreme Rules.
Dean Ambrose defeated Kofi Kingston to win the United States Championship, and Rollins and Reigns defeated the long-reigning Team Hell No to win the Tag Team Championships. Very soon after, however, the undefeated streak ended with Daniel Bryan making Seth Rollins tap out in a six-man tag team match on SmackDown.
This did not affect the impact of The SHIELD, however, and Rollins and Reigns would go on to have an entertaining reign with the championships (on the contrary, Ambrose’s reign has been highly criticised as he didn’t defend the title too often).
One of their most famous title defenses was against The Usos at Money In The Bank, which was the opening match, but arguably stole the show. It was a fifteen-minute masterpiece that had fans on the edge of their seats and showcased exactly what Reigns and Rollins are capable of doing. It portrayed why The Shield were great heels. They weren’t the cowardly type, they were the ruthless type, and that’s what made them special. It was apparent that if those three men had each other’s backs, they were as good as anyone could be.
Tension and eventual babyface turn
Rollins and Reigns lost their championships at Battleground but would advance, ironically, into a feud against CM Punk, in which they lost to him in a three-on-one match at TLC. This was due to Roman Reigns accidentally delivering a Spear to Dean Ambrose, and that led to some arguments within the stable.
Seth Rollins played the role of desperately trying to keep the group together, and succeeded, as The Shield then turned face. This made a match against The New Age Outlaws and Kane at WrestleMania XXX, in which they demolished their opponents.
The next night on Raw, however, The SHIELD was elevated to all new heights. After Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton proceeded to attack Daniel Bryan, the trio made their way down to help Bryan and initiated a feud with the immediately reformed Evolution. What made this special was the nostalgia and the old vs new feel, and clearly, the new was made to look the better side here.
Their first match was at Extreme Rules, in which the highlight of the match was Rollins taking out Triple H and Orton by diving off a balcony, somewhere in the crowd. This led to Reigns delivering a Spear and pinning Batista, both of whom were left in the ring.
After that spectacle, we were treated to one more, when The Shield got their first taste of the main event, as they had a clean sweep over Evolution in an elimination match at Payback, in which the highlight was Seth Rollins flying off the entrance Titantron.
It was at this point that The SHIELD was the force to be reckoned with. The took out the boss, the viper and the animal twice in a row, and in dominant fashion. Seth Rollins was made to look like a beast with his stunts, and overall, the crowds were loving the unit more than ever. Everything seemed right, or so we thought. Everything was assumingly perfect, until...