Opinion: Seth Rollins can be the face of WWE
Seth Rollins is one of the biggest stars in WWE today. Since his NXT days, he has shown immense promise as a star and the company invested a lot in him when they crowned him the first ever NXT champion in 2012.
In the years since, Rollins has proven himself over and over again. As a member of The Shield, one of the most successful stables in WWE history, Rollins was being equipped to be a major star.
After the break-up of The Shield, Rollins arose much faster than his former Shield brothers, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. He captured the WWE champion in spectacular fashion and was a very good champion.
After some career-threatening knee injuries which led to time off, Rollins returned to WWE, captured fans once again all the way to his current reign as the WWE Intercontinental Champion. With this being said, is it possible that Seth Rollins could be the next face of WWE? Let's analyze this more systematically.
Wrestling ability
Rollins' wrestling style can be compared to that of greats such as Shawn Michaels and Daniel Bryan. He has a spectacular technical wrestling style and is a high flyer. It can be said that WWE focuses more on gimmick and character rather than actual in-ring ability.
Yet in-ring ability remains a key to winning fans over. Sometimes WWE forgets this. A simple example is AJ Styles. Styles' in-ring ability is second to no other. He has been elevated to the top of SmackDown Live because he is that good.
Rollins and Styles have very similar wrestling styles. Before the Superstar Shake-up this year, some fans wanted Rollins to be drafted to SmackDown Live because this would make the dream match of Rollins vs Styles possible.
Why can this be defined as a dream match? A simple answer could be that both of them are simply that good. That makes for wrestling gold. Rollins has one of the best in-ring abilities in WWE today. I think this makes Rollins deserving of a spot at the top of the WWE pyramid.
Rollins is only turning 32 this year, meaning he is very young and is in the prime of his career. Severe injuries to his knee, has not deterred his spectacular in-ring ability.
Rollins continues to improve his in-ring performances and has proven he has the ability to put on amazing performances at the Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania. His ability can definitely be more than suffice for a Wrestlemania main event, as the face of WWE.
Diversity
Seth can be equally good as a heel or a babyface. He started in WWE as a face and quickly became popular among fans which contributed to him becoming the first ever NXT champion.
After his demise of The Shield, Rollins had a run as a heel and later became WWE champion as a heel. The way he became the champion is probably one of the most remarkable events in his prolific career.
He became the first man to ever cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania. This not only elevated his heel status but also saved the entire main event of WrestleMania 31, because Reigns vs Lesnar did not receive the desired crowd reaction.
Rollins (as a heel) had an amazing title run, which included rivalries with John Cena, where Rollins beat Cena to become the first ever WWE champion and WWE United States champion simultaneously.
This proves that Rollins can indeed be a major star even as a heel. Upon his return to WWE after knee injuries, Rollins returned to his babyface status. A turn from heel to face can definitely pose immense difficulty as fans don't easily accept the sudden change of gimmick.
Rollins, however transitioned rather easily and although it took time for him to get into a title picture again, he managed to connect with fans again. Rollins' tag team title run with Dean Ambrose, further cemented his face status.
As a face, Rollins also delivered an amazing Wrestlemania match against Triple H, and more significantly his match at this year's WrestleMania, where he won the Intercontinental champion in a triple threat with The Miz and Finn Balor.
Rollins's win caused massive crowd reaction and #GrandSlamRollins trended all over the world. Currently, Seth Rollins has a massive fan base, and the ability to connect with fans.
This is something that the so-called future face of WWE, Roman Reigns has failed to do. Rollins can connect with fans, despite his gimmick, and that can make him worthy of becoming the next Face of WWE.
The "Look"
Lastly, Rollins has the "look" for a face of WWE. It is commonly known that Vince McMahon likes his guys big and muscled up. In his eyes, Rollins might be too small or too not-scary-looking, in comparison to Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
However, Rollins is currently in the best physical shape of his life. He has become the poster boy for Crossfit. He can be believable as the face of the company. Rollins also has an immense loyalty to WWE and he always shows up at every Raw.
Rollins doesn't merely show up, his matches often steals the show and his equally good promos. This is in vast contrast to the current Universal Champion, Lesnar, whose exclusivity is borderlining annoyance and comprising his validity of being champion in the eyes of fans.
If Rollins becomes the Face of WWE, it could very easily change the hierarchy in WWE. Part-timers will no longer be at the top, and guys like Rollins, the Daniel Bryan-types, can take their place.
One can also argue that Rollins respects wrestling as a sport, as he has his own wrestling school, Black and Brave Wrestling School, where he and other trainers foster young talent.
Shouldn't the face of a global wrestling company actually like the sport, foster it and embrace it, rather than going after the money associated with the position as it seems the current Universal champion is doing?
Is it possible?
These are just some reasons as to why Seth Rollins can become the face of WWE. This is not entirely possible because realistically speaking, Vince McMahon would probably never go for it. Sometimes it's just good to acknowledge all too often underappreciated talent such as Rollins, especially in the fixed mobility within the hierarchy of the WWE.