Night of Champions is about to become Seth Rollins' biggest stage to date
Put away everything that has taken place concerning WWE and its controversial issues of the past week concerning its divas and tonight at Night of Champions is geared toward one thing and one thing only – making Seth Rollins an even bigger star than he has already become.
Nothing the pay-per-view does tonight in Houston means anything unless Rollins, the current WWE World Champion and the United States Champion, proves to be the biggest winner (maybe not in the ring, but certainly in getting over) of the evening in his matches against Sting and John Cena.
WWE has hitched its wagon to Rollins in that the company, the one that has taken quite a beating lately for its poor decision making and its handling of its females in and out of the ring, with the notion that he could be the next (insert popular wrestler who stood above all others) whatever you want to call it. Rollins has the biggest night of his life, stepping in the ring with two of the greatest world champions of this generation, the best thing being we as fans don’t know how it will all play out. Surely there will be controversy. Surely there will be something to talk about into the wee hours of the morning until Monday Night Raw gives everyone an overview and a chance to catch their breaths.
Rollins must shine brighter than anyone else on the card. There is no other way around it.
“Never has someone held both the United States and WWE Championship at the same time,” explains Blake Oestreicher on Forbes.com “Never has someone defended both titles on the same pay-per-view. Never has someone gone one-on-one with both the face of WCW and the face of the WWE in the same night.”
WWE is getting quite the media push of late. When is the last time, or the first time for that matter, any has discussed professional wrestling with Forbes being out front giving fans a chance to read something other than a business report?
Yes, tonight is that important.
It sounds like a corny cliché, but a win for Rollins in any capacity is a win for wrestling. He may not win both matches – actually I don’t think anyone expects him to do the double take and beat two wrestling icons in one night. But Rollins is the best heel to come through these ranks in some time. He is every bit as good as he can be and he is every bit as good as he will be. There are defining moments in this business that put performers on the map. Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart. Sting vs. Ric Flair. Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage. And now, Rollins has a chance to stand with these immortals. How WWE decides to play its cards Sunday night will go a long way toward mapping out the company’s rocky future. The idea that the divas have taken center stage has allowed Rollins night to be overshadowed, which actually helps him elevate to an even greater degree of immortality. The stage is set, Rollins must deliver.
There should be a few twists, turns and surprises tonight. I expect nothing less. But I also expect history to be made. No matter how the company stacks Rollins’ matches, which could be back to back at the end of the night, Rollins should capitalize on an opportunity no other wrestler has been given in history.
This is not Daniel Bryan wrestling Triple H and then wrestling Batista and Randy Orton for the WWE World Title, but it is just as important. And when all is said and done, hopefully there won’t be talk about what WWE has done wrong of late. The talk will be of what went right.