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WWE RAW has kicked off the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament tonight. Seth "Freakin" Rollins has officially carved his name into the finals set to take place toward the end of the month.
Triple H announced the championship just a few weeks ago, revealing that a tournament would take place and the first-ever World Heavyweight Champion of the modern era would be crowned at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia.
Four Triple Threat Matches featuring 12 of the top stars in the company were scheduled. Two occurred on RAW, with Seth and Finn Balor winning one and then clashing in the main event. The remaining two will occur on this week's SmackDown.
Seth defeated Shinsuke Nakamura, Damian Priest, and Finn Balor in one night to advance. Still, some fans may be wondering why the company chose to give The Visionary the victory. This article will examine just a handful of reasons why Rollins walked away the winner.
#5. He's a bigger star than Finn Balor
Finn Balor is a talented superstar. The former Universal Champion is one of the best bell-to-bell wrestlers in WWE and can always be counted on for a good match. He's also part of one of the top stables in the company.
Still, Balor isn't quite the star that Seth Rollins is. Finn hasn't been a world champion in seven years. Due to an injury, he only held the Universal Title for one day. He's not often a Premium Live Event headliner, either.
Seth Rollins likely defeated Finn just due to the contrast in their level of star power. As good as Finn is, he isn't on The Visionary's level when it comes to being a top star in the company. Of course, there's no telling if that may change.
#4. Seth Rollins is the sentimental fan favorite
Seth Rollins winning on WWE RAW is logical for one reason. The Visionary is one of the most popular superstars on any brand and in any promotion in 2023.
When Rollins appears on a show, the crowd loudly sings for him, showing a near-obsessive level of love for the former champion. In fact, it has been said that the live crowds sang his song for up to 10 minutes while he competed on WWE's recent European tour.
Fans adore Seth Rollins, and upper management is well aware of that fact. It would be silly not to capitalize on it and push The Visionary to a main event spot at the upcoming premium live event.
#3. The Visionary hasn't been a world champion in years
Seth Rollins is a decorated star. He's held four world titles during his stay in WWE, which is impressive. Four becomes even more impressive when considering that they were all between 2015 and 2019.
The Visionary last captured a world title back in the summer of 2019. While he's held both tag team gold and the United States Championship in recent years, he has not yet recaptured a major world title.
Given his skill level, a four-year drought is strange. Thankfully, WWE seems to realize that fact, and Rollins is seemingly set to become the next World Heavyweight Champion. If nothing else, he'll be the runner-up in the tournament, which keeps him close to championship gold.
#2. Seth would add instant credibility to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
This article has already looked at some of Seth Rollins' accolades. He's a four-time world champion, a former RAW Tag Team Champion, and a former United States Champion. Still, Seth has done even more than what has already been addressed.
Seth is also a two-time Intercontinental Champion, a former Money in the Bank winner, and a former winner of the Men's Royal Rumble Match. Simply put, Rollins has nearly done everything there is to do. He's a true star in every sense of the word.
Seth would make for a perfect World Heavyweight Champion, given his many accolades. He would add instant credibility to the title thanks to his past accomplishments and skill level. WWE likely recognizes this, hence his push in the tournament.
#1. He hasn't recently battled many of the likely winners from the SmackDown-end of the tournament
As noted, the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament isn't just on WWE RAW. Friday Night SmackDown will feature two big Triple Threat Matches and a semi-final bout in the main event.
Sheamus, Bobby Lashley, and Austin Theory will fight in one match, while Edge, Rey Mysterio, and AJ Styles will clash in the other. The two winners will then fight in the main event of SmackDown to determine who wrestles Seth at Night of Champions.
The most likely winners are Rey, AJ, Edge, and Sheamus. Rollins hasn't regularly competed against any of those stars in quite some time, meaning whoever wins will be a fairly fresh opponent for The Visionary. A fresh match is much more enticing than a bout seen far too often.
