Towards the end of next month, we will complete an entire year of witnessing Seth Rollins’ heel run. It was on a fateful night in June last year that Triple H executed his Plan B. Rollins went on to slam a chair onto his brothers and through our hearts. The voice of that one fan’s ‘NOOOOOOO’ still echoes.
Yet, the past one year has been a breakthrough for Seth Rollins as a singles performer. He won Money In The Bank, main evented a lot of PPVs for someone as young as him and won the WWE World Heavyweight Champion in a stellar moment at Wrestlemania.
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Here are the five best moments from his heel run
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5) He bought in
A week after he executed one of the most shocking moments in WWE history, he walked towards the ring all clad in a suit, proudly walking next to Triple H. It was the day that demanded an explanation. A proper explanation.
He said everything that was expected off him. He countered the ‘You Sold Out’ chants by simply saying that he bought into the evolution of Seth Rollins. He expounded upon why he was called the ‘Architect of The Shield’. He believed that it was him who held the group together and why he was the reason behind its superiority. That was when the arrogant heel came out. And he was saying all this under the watchful glance of Triple H- The Game. That’s when you looked at Rollins and saw a spoilt little brat.
This promo did well to lay the foundation of a thriving heel run.
4) ‘Never my brother’
The best thing that happened to establish Rollins as a premier heel in the company was his feud with Dean Ambrose. This was the most consistently best thing going on in the company then and Ambrose was thriving as the brother who wanted to avenge the person who broke his trust. One major thing that worked was both of their performances during promos and matches.
One particular segment stands out. It was when Rollins spoke about the Lumberjack match at Summerslam, a stipulation chosen by Ambrose. Rollins discarded Ambrose as a lunatic, a crazy presence.
“I am the future of this company, and I am better than you. I am better than some lunatic fringe who doesn't give a damn about his physical well-being.”
He went on to reiterate that the future lies in his hands. All the while Ambrose was just laughing away as if nothing Rollins said really mattered.
“I am better than some bipolar nutjob who should be locked away. I am better than some hellcat with rabies....”
But then something struck a chord. Something made things go all awry.
“I am better than some hellcat with rabies who was never my friend, who was never my brother, and who I never gave a damn about in the first place."
Rollins said that as crystal clear as he could.
What better way to inflict pain than through the heart.
3) Contract signing
Rollins stood in the ring with the likes of John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H for a typical contract signing segment and proved that he belonged. It is in these situations that Rollins despite being opportunistic and arrogant, comes out looking bold. It is this particularly surprising trait for a heel that has made him an interesting character.
When Paul Heyman cut him off mid-thanking mode, he returned the favor by doing the same to Heyman. And it was glorious.
Contract signings always end in major chaos. And then the opportunist in Rollins came out. He pushed away Cena and Curb Stomped Lesnar, which was a bold statement in itself.
2) Raw after Wrestlemania
Seth Rollins walked into an arena full of hardcore wrestling fans and got a glorious ovation. He had just won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship a night before at Wrestlemania. He walked in to face Brock Lesnar, in what was to be his first match on Raw in 12 years. He posed with his championship atop the turnbuckle, stepped down, into the ring and walked right ahead to look at The Beast Incarnate in the eye.
This segment for better or worse will be known as the one where Brock Lesnar brought the whole house down. But Seth Rollins displayed the perfect character play for the heel that he’s become.
He got away from the beating the awaited him. He went from being bold to cocky to epic scared.
1) Wrestlemania 31
The best moment so far in his heel run. And what could equal this? For all the negativity that comes across for the commentators, Michale Cole’s lines stood out, Seth Rollins did make the heist of the century. In a breathless sequence of events, Rollins rampaged to the ring, cashed in his Money In The Bank and just after a few moments of getting your breath in place, he curb stomped his former Shield brother and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
And then, without fail, he darted back towards the entrance and held his title in the air.
There couldn’t have been a better way to end Wrestlemania.
