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'The Messiah' Seth Rollins is a gem of an athlete and a larger-than-life superstar. From winning the Royal Rumble in 2019 to pulling off the heist of the century in the main event of WrestleMania 31, Rollins has provided fans with some of the most incredible moments of the past decade.
He was drafted to the Blue brand last October, where he continued his storyline with the Mysterio family and Murphy. After a two-month hiatus, Seth Rollins returned at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view and began an intriguing program with Cesaro on SmackDown.
Seth Rollins just came off a well-received match against The Swiss Cyborg at WrestleMania 37. Cesaro is set to face the former WWE Champion again on this week's episode of SmackDown.
As The King of Swing is expected to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship soon, he will likely walk out as the winner.
That leaves Rollins in a tight spot. He has excelled in his role as a despicable villain since November 2019, but it's time for him to return to an older version of himself as the lovable, die-hard babyface that wowed audiences all across the globe.
Why a face turn for Seth Rollins makes sense
The Blue brand's roster lacks depth. It boasts world-class athletes, but there are only a handful of stars on the roster. The dilemma is more severe with the lack of solid, main-event caliber babyfaces. Big E, Cesaro, Rey Mysterio, Dominik, and Kevin Owens are the only credible faces on SmackDown. Superstars like Shinsuke Nakamura and Murphy are under-utilized, and WWE has shown that it doesn't have much faith in them.
On the other hand, the heel side is stacked with superstars such as Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Jey Uso, Apollo Crews, and King Corbin. This mismatch between heels and babyfaces has left many quality bad guys directionless.
Moreover, the departure of Daniel Bryan has left an enormous void that only a mega-star like Seth Rollins can fill. Turning Rollins babyface would level the playing field, balancing out the babyfaces with the heels so that top-caliber superstars aren't overlooked. This would give under-utilized stars like Aleister Black and King Corbin an opponent and intriguing storylines.
A myriad of possibilities would emerge if Rollins was to revert to a babyface. He could battle a familiar foe in Murphy, this time with the roles reversed. He may also choose to forge another alliance with his former disciple and insert himself into the tag team division, eyeing Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode's SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Hungry stars like Aleister Black would love to have a piece of Rollins, especially if you consider the history and chemistry these two have together.
But the most significant reason for turning Seth Rollins babyface is a potential feud with Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Ever since he returned at SummerSlam last year, Reigns has been unstoppable, running roughshod over the entire roster with the advice of the cunning Paul Heyman and the assistance of the highly loyal Jey Uso.
Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Drew McIntyre, and Edge have fallen victim to Reigns' fury. But Seth Rollins will pose a unique challenge. No one on the WWE roster knows The Head of the Table better than Rollins. They spent two years together as members of The Shield. They've faced each other numerous times since then, but they're so evenly matched that there hasn't been a decisive winner.
Roman Reigns versus Seth Rollins has the potential to headline WrestleMania next year. Rollins has overcome the odds before, but Reigns has never been so dominant. This feud could end up being one of the best in recent memory.
How WWE can pull it off
A double-turn may be needed for a program with Murphy or Black as WWE seldom does babyface versus babyface rivalries. Black's run as a heel was cut short last October due to injury. He returned to television a few weeks ago, but his character has been difficult to decipher. Adopting a villainous character may be the best option for him. It would also lay the foundation for a program with Seth Rollins.
Given that Roman Reigns is already a heel, no double-turn is needed. However, to establish Rollins as the likable one in this scenario, the program should be built around The Messiah as an underdog.
A gauntlet match would be a good way to accomplish that. In February 2018, Seth Rollins put on an all-star performance in a seven-man gauntlet match where he beat John Cena and the current Universal Champion. His outstanding performance laid the foundation for a mega push. WWE may choose to retake this route.
However, Reigns could also use Jey Uso to stack the odds against his former Shield brethren. Uso has done Reigns' bidding in the past and he was also instrumental in building Daniel Bryan as the heroic babyface heading into WrestleMania.
A change of character for Seth Rollins would bear fruit, not just for The Messiah, but would elevate the entire WWE roster.
