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As confirmed on WWE SmackDown last week, Roman Reigns will put his Universal Championship on the line against Edge at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The announcement fetched mixed reactions from the WWE Universe, but Seth Rollins was particularly unhappy. He lashed out at the company for their decision and argued that he should have been Reigns’ next challenger.
It led to everyone talking about a potential feud between the two superstars on SmackDown, as well as WWE’s reservations about this storyline. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns crossed paths on the Blue brand in recent months when The Tribal Chief was feuding with Cesaro. Their on-screen meetings, although brief, always got the viewers talking. Will Reigns and Rollins engage in a title feud?
In this article, we will look at the biggest reasons why WWE should book Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in a title feud on SmackDown.
#5 The history between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins
Almost a decade ago, Roman Reigns walked through the crowd alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose (AEW Superstar Jon Moxley) at Survivor Series 2012. They interfered in the main event and helped CM Punk in retaining his WWE Championship. That night, the WWE Universe was introduced to a dominant new faction – The Shield.
Roman Reigns and his entourage ran a rampage through the entire roster and quickly rose to the top. Over the course of the next few years, all three superstars saw an exponential rise in their popularity. Together, they were unstoppable until Seth Rollins sided with The Authority and betrayed his Shield brothers.
The faction had sporadic reunions between 2017 and 2019 before Ambrose left WWE. But it can’t be denied that Rollins’ heel turn changed their equation forever. It also led to The Architect establishing himself as one of the best heels in the business.
Although it has been seven years since Triple H revealed his shocking “Plan B” on a memorable episode of RAW in 2014, it would still be justified if Roman Reigns decides to collect the dues now.
For the first time since The Shield’s split, Reigns is genuinely over with the crowd. He is one of the best heels in the entire business, and now is the best time to book him and Rollins in an unforgettable rivalry. The latter has hijacked Reigns’ “big moments” several times in the past. The Tribal Chief can now settle old scores via an epic Universal Championship feud.
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are familiar with every detail about each other, which would account for multiple exciting segments. The mere nostalgia surrounding the two superstars would be enough to keep the fans invested in this storyline.
Roman Reigns will need a new challenger after Money in the Bank, and it should be Seth Rollins. Their long history is too good to be ignored and offers a lot that can be involved in their current storyline.
#4 Sets up an interesting challenge for Roman Reigns
After The Shield was disbanded, Roman Reigns was the only one who was continuously booked as a top babyface. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins went on to become one of the best heels in modern-day WWE. An opportunistic Rollins dressed in a suit and gloves had more “drip” in his golden locks than the so-called “Messiah”.
Although Rollins’ current heel gimmick is not his best, we know how incredible he can be at playing a villain. It took a long time for Reigns to prove the same thing. He might be the best heel today, but is he better than prime Rollins? It would be a massive challenge for him to stand across from a naturally entertaining villain and still convince the crowd to root for him.
Roman Reigns now has more control over his promos, and he is doing an excellent job on the mic. He should keep up the same tactics against Rollins, who should also be allowed the same freedom on the mic.
They know each other well and can hurt where it would hurt the most, making the entire rivalry seem as believable as possible. A credible performance in this feud will help Roman Reigns win over another section of his former critics.
#3 Feuding with Roman Reigns will push Seth Rollins back into the world title picture
Roman Reigns is enjoying a dominant reign as the Universal Champion, and he is expected to keep the title for a while. Thus, it is unlikely that Seth Rollins will beat The Tribal Chief for the world title. However, the feud will help push him back into the Championship picture. He is at his best when he is chasing the gold.
Since his heel turn, Seth Rollins has been involved in extremely lengthy feuds with Rey Mysterio and Cesaro. Both those storylines got monotonous towards their respective ends.
He deserves to be a part of better bookings on WWE SmackDown, and he can easily pose a serious threat to any champion. Rollins even expressed his disappointment in WWE for bringing back Edge as Roman Reigns’ next challenger.
Rollins believes he should have had that opportunity as Edge already had his match at WrestleMania. His intense promo on Talking Smack planted the seeds of a potential feud with Roman Reigns.
It fetched a strong response online as the WWE Universe expressed their desire to see this rivalry unfold on WWE SmackDown. The creative team should waste no time capitalizing on this interest, especially now that the live crowd is set to return for WWE shows.
#2 Roman Reigns’ involvement in an extended feud allows time to push more babyfaces
As mentioned before, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins’ history includes a decade of brotherhood and betrayal. There are a lot of things for the creative team to include in their rivalry, including Rollins’ recent attack on The Usos, without making the storyline repetitive. This will also allow them enough time to push other babyfaces as credible challengers on WWE SmackDown.
For instance, WWE can use a couple of months to build Big E as an unstoppable force. He has enjoyed a decent run with the Intercontinental Championship and should be fighting for a world title now. Big E would make for an excellent opponent against Roman Reigns in the future as it would be entertaining to watch a battle between two powerhouses.
The feud between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins will also keep the Universal Champion occupied at least until the 2021 WWE Draft, which is scheduled to take place on the August 30 episode of RAW and the September 3 episode of SmackDown.
The creative team can also invest in building-up more superstars on RAW as well and move them to the Blue brand later this year. It will also help book multiple interesting rivalries between top superstars and put them in the spotlight without cluttering the main world title picture.
#1 Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins can end WWE’s reluctance with booking heel vs. heel storylines
Everyone knows that the title feud between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins is a guaranteed blockbuster. There are very few scenarios that can destroy the entire hype surrounding this feud and one of them is turning either of the two superstars into a babyface. More often than not, WWE avoids booking two heels in a title feud.
Their skepticism about pitting two bad guys against each other is understandable, to an extent. Fans tend to lose interest if there is no contrast between two opponents. However, a counterargument can be made that viewers grow tired of rivalries because the creative team gives up on one or both superstars halfway through their storyline.
Would the live crowd dislike a brutal match between two former best friends Sasha Banks and Bayley? Wouldn’t it be entertaining to have AJ Styles and the "heel" Finn Balor destroy each other on the mic and inside the ring? Most WWE storylines are created in weeks, but few have been in the making for decades. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins’ title rivalry falls in the second category.
Neither of them needs to be a “good guy” in order to keep the fight well-balanced. They are two different kinds of heels and have their respective strong points. Reigns is looking to craft his legacy while Rollins believes he already has one. The Universal Champion wants to be at the top of the mountain while the latter has been there and done that.
Roman Reigns relied on The Usos to win his matches but Seth Rollins trusts his quick thinking to steal last-moment victories. The Messiah has bettered The Tribal Chief in the past but the latter is yet to return the favor.
The creative team should trust both superstars to engage in a title feud while staying true to their heel personas. If that happens, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have the potential to put an end to WWE's reservations about booking a rivalry between the two heels.
