'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It was earlier this year when spurred by fan support, Seth Rollins unseated The Beast Incarnate from his perch to become the Universal Champion at WrestleMania 35. The crowd would showcase their support and it became clear that he would become their guy.
But ever since then, something just has not clicked between Seth Rollins and the WWE Universe. Even though he is still the top babyface in the company at this point, the audience just doesn't seem to be into him as much as they once used to be.
It's hilarious in a sense, that his Shield brother Roman Reigns addressed the fact that he got booed in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated (since Reigns is no stranger to fans turning against a popular babyface). What has changed in Seth Rollins' persona to such a degree that the audience just doesn't seem into him in 2019?
I have 5 theories that may explain why this may have happened...
#5 Twitter exchange with Will Ospreay
It is easy to forget sometimes that behind the glitz and the glamor, Superstars like Seth Rollins are performers who can make mistakes especially when it comes to things like social media. How many times is it that you have typed out a Tweet or Facebook post, and deleted it soon after, because you regretted what you said? Seth Rollins had one of those moments when he addressed Will Ospreay's bank statement during a recent exchange with the man on Twitter.
That Twitter post caught the eye of the WWE Universe and because it was such a cheap shot, it just earned him a great deal of heat. It isn't the kind of conduct one expects from the face of WWE, and the fans let him know this when the post became public!
#4 The Hell in a Cell main event match
Sometimes, for no fault of the performer himself/herself, but because of the situation that he/she has been booked in by the creative team, the audience has no choice but to turn on him/her. WWE built up The Fiend as an unstoppable monster who would get the edge on Seth Rollins on every occasion but when the match came around, there was a head-scratching DQ in a no-DQ match. Everyone in the audience revolted and 'AEW' chants actually rang throughout the arena when the match concluded.
While the audience had been turning on Seth Rollins in small degrees until this point, this was the straw that broke the camel's back, the one move from which there is no comeback. It remains to be seen how WWE will rescue his character, and perhaps it was even a wise decision that Rollins did not show up on the RAW that followed WWE Hell in a Cell. Absence makes the heart grow fonder or so WWE will hope when Seth Rollins squares off against Roman Reigns on SmackDown Live.
Maybe the heat on Seth Rollins is so immense that Roman Reigns actually gets cheered in the match!
#3 Fans remember how good he was as a heel
It is impossible to dispute that Seth Rollins was a much more natural heel (remember when he turned on The Shield and aligned himself with The Authority?) than he is as a babyface. His move-set may be whole a lot flashier now than it was back then, but he was a great 'coward' in the ring as a heel back then, always taking the easy way out to pick up a big win.
Because it did not happen too long ago, fans still remember that run and his feuds with the likes of Kane, Sting, John Cena, Dean Ambrose, etc. back from during that run. If he does go heel now, depending on where he lands up in the draft, he could potentially face off against strong babyfaces like Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, and even Rey Mysterio in some thrilling matches.
Since they have his heel run as a blueprint (coming off what was probably the best heel turn of the modern era), they simply cannot accept him as a babyface especially if you factor in the way he has been booked. This is why he has heat with WWE fans.
Do you want to see him turn heel again?
#2 WWE's inability to create compelling babyface characters
For some weird reason, WWE has a very tough time creating babyface characters that connect with fans in the new era. And if you look at the NXT roster, you'll see that such is not the case at all, because there are a whole lot of babyface characters that the fans are into, from Matt Riddle to Johnny Gargano. It just seems like when the same good guys are called up to the main roster, they have a major disconnect with fans.
Maybe in the year 2019, you just need babyfaces with an edge like Kevin Owens, who dares to speak out against a corrupt system, or Becky Lynch, who has a swagger and style that spells out a 'no nonsense' attitude immediately. Rollins is just your standard babyface, a man who fights to stay at the top, who fights everyone who challenges him. While such was the case with Superstars before him like Hulk Hogan, the modern audience demands more, I suppose.
So let's assume that Seth Rollins goes up against a Superstar like The Fiend, who's neither a pure babyface nor a pure heel, in the truest sense. He may come across as cooler to the audience than a babyface like Seth Rollins.
#1 'Fickle' fans
Daniel Bryan does not exaggerate when he refers to the WWE Universe as 'fickle' because, in many ways, such is the nature of the sports entertainment fan in 2019. Even if fans say that they want a certain thing to happen, when it does, they have a tendency to rebel against it.
So, when Seth Rollins was at the bottom chasing after the coveted title that would take him to the pinnacle of sports entertainment, fans were into his act. And when he reached the top of the mountain, somehow there was a disconnect with fans, and they unanimously began to rebel against the man.
I wonder if Seth Rollins is in the same bracket as his best friend Roman Reigns was, or in the same category that John Cena was, when the crowd turned against them too. It almost seems like the position that makes you the face of WWE is also the one that fans dislike because they only support you all the way to the top.
I wonder how long it would have been until fans began to sour on a character like Kofi Kingston, had Brock Lesnar not defeated him for the WWE Championship.
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news. Do not miss out!
