Seth Rollins lost the Universal Championship to The Fiend at WWE Crown Jewel, in a move that made a lot of fans very happy indeed. Rollins even acknowledged this when he showed up to cut a promo on WWE RAW.
The Architect claimed that he had reached a point in his career where he did not know what was next, a crossroads of sorts. And then, we heard Lemmy and Motorhead blaring on the speakers, as Triple H made his way to the ramp to talk to someone who's been both an ally and a nemesis for the man.
Long story short, a match between Seth Rollins and NXT Champion Adam Cole was set up for the NXT Championship. But right on the verge of Seth Rollins picking up a big win and cementing his name as the top guy in WWE, the Undisputed ERA interfered to cost him the title.
Why wasn't Seth Rollins allowed to win the match?
#5 To have RAW go off the air with a brawl
Let's get one thing clear, straight away. The NXT Championship, as important as it is, is not the central focus of Survivor Series. This is a show that is about brand dominance, where WWE's three resident brands battle it out to see who's numero uno in the entire company.
And so while a title change would have made things very interesting, the fact that the show ended with a brawl with all the participants involved battling it out, just added a whole new dimension to the build to Survivor Series, a small taste of the show if you will. The Undisputed ERA interfering in the match was necessary in a sense, for this whole melee and this chaos to unfold on-screen.
#4 To tease the idea of Seth Rollins joining NXT over many weeks
The worst thing you can do with a storyline is to end it before it can bloom to its fullest potential on TV. WWE has done it several times in the past, with the storylines they have abandoned mid-way through what seemed to be going well. The clearest example of the same is Rusev Day, a storyline that was discarded even when it was red hot.
What I'm trying to say here is that the question of whether or not Seth Rollins goes to NXT should be the prime focus of RAW and even NXT over the weeks to come. The uncertainty over whether Rollins will betray RAW or lead the charge against NXT should take center stage.
This would answer the question that everyone seems to be asking these days- is it finally time for Seth Rollins to turn heel?
#3 Seth Rollins is still the top guy on Monday Nights
I am sure that a lot of our readers are Walking Dead fans, so let me raise this question to you. Do you think that Negan would quit the main show to be a part of the spin-off 'Fear the Walking Dead', even if the other show needed a boost in ratings?
Seth Rollins is the biggest star on RAW not named Brock Lesnar and while you may counter with the fact that Finn Balor went to NXT, he is not in the same league that Seth Rollins is. Who's the biggest male babyface if Rollins goes to NXT- Ricochet or Mysterio?
With all due respect to both men, neither is in the same ballpark as The Architect when it comes to being the top guy. Even if the audience hasn't been accepting of Seth Rollins, he's still a top star.
And for him to head to NXT as their Champion, would have clashed with his main roster schedule and just been a mess all-around.
#2 To make both individuals in the match look strong
Beating Daniel Bryan is a huge deal. This is a man who was the center of attention at WrestleMania XXX, the same site where The Undertaker's streak was broken. What WWE does not want to do at any cost is to have the win from SmackDown seem meaningless.
And that would have certainly been the case had Seth Rollins picked up an easy victory over Adam Cole on RAW. Conversely, had Adam Cole defeated Seth Rollins, it would have knocked him down quite a few pegs down the ladder after his loss at WWE Crown Jewel. Neither character could afford to look weak in the situation they are currently in.
So maybe what happened, actually happened for the best this week. Both Seth Rollins and Adam Cole still have their momentum and are looking strong, heading into WWE Survivor Series 2019.
#1 To introduce the Undisputed ERA in a really big way
While all of our readers must be familiar with The Undisputed Era, one needs to remember that there are a lot of people out there who do not watch as much wrestling as you and I. If you compare RAW and SmackDown ratings to NXT's weekly ratings, you will know exactly what I mean.
It is very clear that The Undisputed ERA is on course to tackle The O.C. at Survivor Series, in one form or the other. While everyone knows AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows, people may not be familiar with The Undisputed ERA.
It has now been firmly established that they hang around like jackals, protecting Adam Cole's best interests. Casual fans may now be intrigued to discover more about this foursome.
And they can do so by checking out NXT on USA.
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