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Mid-card championships have an important role to play in a wrestling promotion. Not only are they stepping stones for up and comers to the main event picture, but they provide an alternative story to that main event.
While the world title picture is often the scene of great drama, the mid-card titles provide an adrenaline rush of pure wrestling and athleticism. Seth Rollins has been demonstrative of that this year.
There are four mid-card titles in the company - the Intercontinental Championship on Raw, the United States Championship on SmackDown, the North American Championship on NXT, and the UK Championship, which is akin to a territorial title for the NXT UK brand, and has functioned as a mid card championship on the main NXT brand.
On this edition of "Who Does it Better?" we're going to compare all four current mid-card champions in WWE: Seth Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet, and Pete Dunne, to see which one of them is the best professional wrestler.
Round 1: Ring Ability
This one is tough, because three of the four mid-card champions have a strong resume of four star matches this year. In terms of sheer athleticism, no one can match Ricochet, but being a great in-ring wrestler is about more than pure athletics. Pacing, sequencing of spots, selling, and other psychological aspects also matter.
When combining all of these things, no one stands out more than Pete Dunne. All of his matches are akin to gritty street fights for survival, as Dunne simply beats his opponents until they're too broken to continue. He's always doing something that looks brutal, whether it's his joint manipulation, his counters, or his own share of acrobatics.
Seth Rollins comes in second. His matches have been well-paced and he's played the fiery fighter perfectly.
Ricochet can make jaws drop, but as yet his in-ring resume in WWE doesn't quite match Dunne and Rollins, though his selling ability is very good.
Shinsuke Nakamura, unsurprisingly, comes in fourth. He's a good wrestler, but has often been accused of being lazy. None of his matches have yet equaled his first in WWE against Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, and his feud with AJ Styles is regarded as a disappointment.
Verdict:
1st: Pete Dunne (+4 points)
2nd: Seth Rollins (+3 points)
3rd: Ricochet (+2 points)
4th: Shinsuke Nakamura (+1 point)
Round 2: Charisma
Where Shinsuke Nakamura lacks in his in-ring resume, he makes up for with his sheer physical charisma. His eccentric mannerisms capture and hold attention and he's still over despite the disappointments he's often run into.
Seth Rollins falls in second place. Fans love him and want to get behind him. When he's playing the fiery, fighting babyface, everyone cheers for him to win.
Pete Dunne comes in third. While not the most charismatic guy around, he's still very over in NXT, and his mannerisms support his gritty "Bruiserweight" character excellently.
Ricochet was never known for his charisma. Athletic though he may be, he isn't as captivating as his peers when he isn't flying around the ring.
Verdict:
1st: Shinsuke Nakamura (+4 points)
2nd: Seth Rollins (+3 points)
3rd: Pete Dunne (+2 points)
4th: Ricochet (+1 point)
Round 3: Talking Ability
None of the current mid-card champions are known for their promos. All the same, this one isn't hard to decide. Of the four, Seth Rollins is easily the best.
Pete Dunne and Ricochet are in a similar boat, because their promos are dull and don't match the electricity they have in the ring. Because Pete Dunne's accent can make him harder for some viewers to follow, I'll give second place to Ricochet.
Obviously, Shinsuke Nakamura comes in fourth place because, while he speaks fluent English, his accent and pronunciations make him the hardest to understand.
Verdict:
1st: Seth Rollins (+4 points)
2nd: Ricochet (+3 points)
3rd: Pete Dunne (+2 points)
4th: Shinsuke Nakamura (+1 point)
Round 4: Look
Pete Dunne might not be the biggest guy in the world, but I dare anyone to say that he doesn't look threatening. His scowl, swagger, and movements lend credibility to the "Bruiserweight" moniker. He looks like he's someone who will get in a street fight with you, rip your arm out of its socket, and beat you over the head with it.
Seth Rollins comes in second place. He has the best physique out of the four.
Ricochet has a cut physique without an ounce of fat on it that looks like it's custom made for flying around the world, but Nakamura has a size advantage over him. If you were to fight one, which of the two would look more threatening? I think you know the answer.
Verdict:
1st: Pete Dunne (+4 points)
2nd: Seth Rollins (+3 points)
3rd: Shinsuke Nakamura (+2 points)
4th: Ricochet (+1 points)
Round 5: Versatility
When it comes to versatility, Pete Dunne again comes out on top. He can play the brutal heel or the badass babyface and he doesn't need to have great promos to do either, which is again a testament to his talent.
Shinsuke Nakamura comes in second place. He can play the popular, charismatic babyface, or, now, the eccentric, nearly deranged heel.
Neither Seth Rollins nor Ricochet are good at playing heels, but Seth Rollins' superior promo skills place him above his NXT counterpart.
Verdict:
1st: Pete Dunne (+4 points)
2nd: Shinsuke Nakamura (+3 points)
3rd: Seth Rollins (+2 points)
3th: Ricochet (+1 point)
Conclusion
1st: Pete Dunne - 16 points
2nd: Seth Rollins - 15 points
3rd: Shinsuke Nakamura - 11 points
4th Ricochet - 8 points
There's a reason why Pete Dunne has reigned for nearly 500 days, and why Triple H is super high on him. He excels in nearly everything that makes for a great professional wrestler and his promo skills are good enough. His height is the only thing that would work against him, but in today's hyper-athletic age, that matters less than ever before.
Seth Rollins comes in a close second place. Like Pete Dunne, he either excels in every category or is good enough to not be lacking in any part of his game.
Shinsuke Nakamura's ring work has been weak, but his mannerisms and character make up for much of it, and the fact that he's as successful as he has been despite language issues is a testament to him.
Ricochet feels like he got the short straw in comparison to his peers. He too, is an excellent professional wrestler, only lacking in his game in comparison to his esteemed peers.
WWE's mid-card titles have arguably never had a stronger group of holders, though it would be nice to see Nakamura's reign booked better.
