Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes, once bitter enemies, find themselves fighting side-by-side for the same cause at WWE WrestleMania XL. The World Heavyweight Champion has offered himself as Rhodes' "Shield" in his battle against The Bloodline, with both men opposing The Rock and Roman Reigns.
While The Visionary has been a dependable comrade so far, that could change when it comes to The Show of Shows. Given the history and power dynamics involved in the various threads of the storyline, betrayal is a very distinct possibility. While it's expected to come from within The Bloodline, the World Heavyweight Champion could also have some compelling motivatons to turn on his ally.
Here are four reasons why Seth Rollins could betray Cody Rhodes at WWE WrestleMania XL
#4. Losing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Drew McIntyre could cause Seth Rollins to snap
Seth Rollins will most likely be pulling double duty at WWE WrestleMania XL, both as a competitor and as a character. On Night One, he will be involved in Cody Rhodes' struggle with The Bloodline, most likely competing in a huge tag team clash to determine the stipulation for Rhodes' title match with Roman Reigns. Night Two will then see him defend the World Heavyweight Title against Drew McIntyre.
Should The Visionary lose his championship, his outlook on The Cody-Bloodline situation could drastically change. Overcome with jealousy over his great rival potentially winning what he just lost, he could cost The American Nightmare his shot. This would add a new chapter to The Revolutionary's story with both Rhodes and Reigns, kicking off another heel run with plenty of momentum.
#3. WWE might want Roman Reigns to surpass Hulk Hogan's 1474-day record
It has long been rumored that WWE would love to see Roman Reigns' historic title reign surpass Hulk Hogan's career-best 1474 days as world champion. Talk of this has cooled off recently, but that doesn't necessarily mean the idea has been abandoned.
Should the company choose to proceed on this path, there are two main avenues it could follow to have Reigns retain at The Show of Shows. One would see The Bloodline find a way to screw Cody Rhodes out of finishing his story, possibly with a new member debuting or The Rock abusing his power. The other would be a Seth Rollins heel turn, which would arguably be more shocking and compelling.
#2: A Seth Rollins heel turn would be a shocking swerve with The Bloodline banned from ringside
"There's always a Plan B" were the famous words of Triple H when Seth Rollins first turned heel in WWE. The Architect was part of a collective that had just won a turf war against one of the most decorated stables in history before he took a chair to his own teammates' backs.
If Rollins and Cody Rhodes defeat The Rock and Roman Reigns, The Bloodline will be barred from ringside for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title match. This will leave The Visionary as the only external agent left capable of interfering. Should he turn his back on his friend in favor of his brother, few would see it coming.
Additionally, besides creating a WrestleMania moment, it would make all the sense in the world from his character's standpoint.
#1: Seth Rollins' record against Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns in WWE
Seth Rollins is famously one of, if not the biggest nemesis in Roman Reigns' WWE career. As The Visionary has reminded the WWE Universe time and again, The Tribal Chief has never defeated him in a big-time singles match. In fact, The Visionary is the only man to hold a singles victory over Reigns' current persona, albeit via disqualification.
On the other hand, Cody Rhodes seems to be Rollins' kryptonite, consistently getting the better of the latter even in his first spell in the company. If The Visionary were to arrive at the main event of Night Two having lost his World Heavyweight Title, Reigns and Paul Heyman could turn his head by offering a future shot at The Head of the Table in exchange for screwing over The American Nightmare.
Considering his track record of success against the reigning champion and repeated failure against his challenger, betraying the latter would be the likely outcome.