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After a brief hiatus from SmackDown, former WWE Champion Seth Rollins returned in the 2021 Royal Rumble.
Fans of Rollins will have to wait one more week to see him, as it was revealed during the most recent episode that he'd be back on next week's SmackDown.
WWE wrote Rollins off of TV during the Survivor Series PPV. He bowed in the middle of the ring and allowed Team RAW's Sheamus to eliminate him. Before Survivor Series, Rollins fell to both Rey Mysterio and Buddy Murphy in singles matches.
The main reason for the absence of Rollins was due to the pregnancy of his fiance, RAW Superstar Becky Lynch. The couple expected their first child, and Lynch gave birth in early December 2020.
However, with the issues brought on by COVID-19, births and hospital stays are much trickier than usual. Nonetheless, Rollins was absent from SmackDown for over two months.
With Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins both heels, it has eliminated the possibility of a top-level feud over the Universal Championship. Both men are among the best heel characters in all of WWE, so another showdown between the two former members of the Shield will have to wait.
What does the future hold for Seth Rollins on SmackDown?
Rollins joining the blue brand was one of the most significant moves during the 2020 WWE Draft. He moved to SmackDown while The Fiend moved to RAW.
The feud with the Mysterios was also brought over from RAW but was essentially put to bed before Survivor Series. Now that Rollins will make his triumphant return to Friday nights, what direction should he take?
During the Royal Rumble, he entered at No. 29 and eliminated Daniel Bryan. Bryan has been one of the top faces on SmackDown for the last few years. After the WWE Draft, the two men confronted each other, with Bryan trying to stop Rollins and his brainwashing ways.
A feud with Bryan seems like the most logical direction since they had a moment during the Royal Rumble. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura also seem to both be good guys now, so he could enter an angle with either of those men.
Whatever the case may be, fans of the multi-time champion will get to see the return of Seth Rollins in a week. Will he attack someone or espouse more of his usual rhetoric? Stay tuned.
