Is Seth "Freaking" Rollins really ready for SummerSlam?
SummerSlam is just two weeks away and things are getting rather hot in WWE. With the Viper and the Beast facing off each other, Paul Heyman to hype things up, that match is already set to steal the show. On the other hand, Cena and Styles are going to go one on one in a match that has a gripping storyline filled with egotistical veterans who wants to find out who the best man is. Dolph Ziggler has, at last, got his main event push.
With so much happening on the biggest party of Summer, it is only understandable that the WWE Universal Championship has not been on the forefront of everyone’s mind. With two gifted athletes like Seth Rollins and Finn Balor taking on each other, the match should be the talking point. While there has been some talk about the match and how good the two men are, very few have considered the amount of pressure the two men have on their shoulders.
For Finn Balor, this is his first PPV after debuting on the main roster. While Finn can very well perform under pressure, it is yet to be seen whether he could reproduce the magic he created in both NXT and NJPW. Finn Balor is without the doubt one of the greatest individuals to ever step foot in a WWE ring. his countless accomplishments and ever growing fan base attest to it. Let’s hope that Finn digs down deep and delivers his magic once more.
But the real question here is whether Seth “Freaking” Rollins is ready for SummerSlam. It is to be noted that this is the first biggest PPV after WrestleMania and also, in fact, the first of the big four’s after Seth Rollins’ return. While performing in other PPV’s is a chore in itself, wowing the audience at one of the big four’s is something that can’t be done without complete preparation.
Every action a wrestler performs on one of the big four’s is noted by critics and fans with a magnifying glass. His every move will be analyzed and even casual fans of WWE care about what a wrestler does on one of the big four’s. So, it is imperative that Seth Rollins should be 100% ready for the event. Balor can excuse himself as a first timer, but Rollins doesn’t have that option.
Now to the real question, is Seth “Freaking” Rollins 100% ready for the event?
While his promos are filled with impeccable timing and his innate ability to control the audience coming to his aid, it could be said that Seth has the mic work down to a dot. But it is the ring work that raises the concern. Seth Rollins is inarguably one of best in-ring technicians in WWE and he would be going against another such man at SummerSlam. Balor and Rollins perform a similar kind of wrestling style and this may be the problem here
Fighting Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are a lot different than fighting Finn Balor. A match against Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns will inarguably see Seth Rollins countering Ambrose’s brawling and Roman’s strength with his supreme agility and in-ring techniques. But, Balor’s style is almost similar to Seth and to win this Seth may need to notch up a little.
Seth has to essentially outmaneuver and outperform Balor to gain a win here and this is where the concern of his injured knee comes into play. If one has noted Seth’s matches of late and compared it to some of his older matches, he could then pinpoint the difference with current Seth and the Seth Rollins that wowed us time and time again.
Nowadays, Seth Rollins has toned down his style and has started to work around his opponent’s style. Be it his match against Roman or against Dean, it could be clearly noted that Seth is leading the match, but not entirely working on his own. he occasionally allows the other wrestler to lead and works around his style. It is also to be noted that his high-risk maneuvers have considerably reduced.
It could be only said that Seth Rollins is playing it safe. He is playing it so safe that he hasn’t performed the “Top Rope Sunset Flip – Buckle Bomb” combination that he used to do in every match before his injury. The only time he performed that was in his match against Roman Reigns and he didn’t perform the Top Rope Sunset Flip perfectly. He eeked his way out by slithering across Roman’s back to half point and performed the Sunset Flip.
It looks like Seth Rollins is hesitant to perform the move that landed him in bed for over seven months. It is understandable that such an injury would have some mental scars which are difficult to identify and rectify. His this hesitation to perform high-risk maneuvers as much as he used to do earlier has changed his style somewhat and he has become safe in his approach to a match.
While this safe approach may have not stood out against opponents like Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, it would be glaringly obvious if Finn Balor goes to the top rope more than Seth Rollins is willing to go. Even casual fans would note the difference and that is something Seth Rollins and WWE should avoid.
In order to beat Balor and wow the audience at SummerSlam, Seth Rollins should really become the Seth “Freaking” Rollins that wowed us with his athleticism time and time again. In order to conquer the Demon King, Seth should conquer his Demons first. Can he do it?