Seth Rollins was originally scheduled to compete in The Royal Rumble on January 29, but as we saw on Monday Night Raw, he lost his spot to Sami Zayn. While Rollins would have been a great addition to the Rumble, his loss started the next chapter of a better storyline.
It all started the night of August 22. Finn Balor had just been crowned the first universal champion after defeating Rollins at SummerSlam, but unfortunately for The Demon, an accident involving a powerbomb into the barricade dislocated his shoulder and tore his labrum.
The following night on Raw, Balor was forced to relinquish the title since he would be out of action for at least six months. A new champion had to be decided, which led to Rollins battling Kevin Owens for the vacant Universal Championship.
Rollins looked poised to add another accolade to his already impressive resume, but Triple H had other plans.
The Game looked like he was going to help Rollins like he had done so many times in the past, which is why it was so surprising to see him turn around and deliver a Pedigree to The Architect, effectively crowning Owens as the new champion.
The betrayal by Triple H started Rollins on the path to becoming a babyface again, but more importantly, it set in motion an eventual showdown between mentor and mentee.
Rollins was understandably furious at both Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon, but the Billion-Dollar Princess claimed to have no idea why her husband interfered in his match.
For weeks, Rollins pestered the Raw COO every chance he got, and any time he had a mic in his hand, he made sure to voice his feelings about the McMahon family. Mick Foley vouched for Stephanie, but his words had no impact either.
Also read: WWE News: Ric Flair believes that Shane McMahon will face Triple H at Wrestlemania 33
Then, WWE put the feud on the backburner for several months. Rollins would occasionally ask about Trips when talking to Stephanie McMahon backstage, but nothing came of it until Monday during Rollins’ match with Zayn.
Triple H's music distracted Rollins long enough for Zayn to roll him up and get the win. He didn't show any ill will toward Zayn for capitalising on the situation, but he was seeing red as he marched backstage looking for the man who had now screwed him over twice.
It seems unlikely that they will settle their differences at the Rumble, so WWE has to decide when it wants the big confrontation to happen. The Raw brand's next pay-per-view is Fastlane on March 5, so logic would dictate that the match take place that night.
However, a storyline between two stars of their calibre that has been gestating for this long shouldn't conclude on a B-level pay-per-view. It needs to be saved for WrestleMania 33, so that the storyline can finish on a grand stage.
Triple H has been working fewer matches with each passing year, so when he steps back into the ring for a match, it needs to be treated as a special occasion. He has earned the right to put himself on the card for Mania, especially if he is only planning on wrestling once or twice this year.
Regardless of how you feel about his backstage politics, there is no denying how much Triple H has contributed to the business both in and out of the ring.
He is one of the last surviving members of the attitude era who can still have a good match, and mixing with young talents like Rollins is, pardon the catchphrase, best for business.
Rollins has been one of WWE's top stars ever since he broke up The Shield, but as we have seen many times in the past, it gets harder to maintain that position as time goes on. Defeating Triple H would help him keep his spot for a long time.
There’s a lot of reasons why WWE needs to save Rollins vs. Triple H for WrestleMania 33, but in the end, the only one that matters is that the two of them will put on an awesome performance when they finally collide.
They couldn't be more different when it comes to wrestling styles, but the things they have in common are an understanding of wrestling psychology and how to pace a match. It's these qualities which separate them from the average wrestler.
Considering that they have a good foundation to build on, the narrative will write itself. Rollins is playing the former golden boy who is upset that his mentor replaced him, and Triple H is playing the authority figure who wants to put the cocky young upstart in his place.
It's a matter of when, not if Rollins and Triple H will throw down in the squared circle. If they don't wait until WrestleMania for the payoff to this storyline, WWE will be missing out on a big opportunity to make the show even more epic than it already will be.
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