How Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns Can Headline WWE SummerSlam 2016
Following Seth Rollins’ injury, see how and why he should face Roman Reigns at WWE SummerSlam next year.
If you haven’t heard, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins suffered a torn ACL and MCL during a WWE live event match in Dublin, Ireland last week. He will be forced to vacate the title.
Rollins was supposed to headline WWE Survivor Series with Roman Reigns in two weeks. Reigns had won the right to be No. 1 Contender on the Raw after WWE Hell in a Cell.
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Obviously, this match won’t be happening. The winner of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship will now be decided with a tournament at Survivor Series. There’s no word on who will be involved as of this writing.
However, many expect Reigns to be the favorite to win the title. Rumors even swirled of him likely winning the title if Rollins didn’t get hurt.
If Reigns wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series, expect a long reign for him. WWE sees him as the next “guy” and will likely give him a long run with the belt to justify it. It could mean Reigns holds the belt from Nov. 22 (the day of Survivor Series) to the time when Rollins returns from injury, which the 9 month mark would be around WWE SummerSlam in Aug.
So how about we finally get Rollins vs. Reigns at SummerSlam inside the Barclays Center for the title?
Things would be changed from the last time these two feuded (last week), though.
WWE is without a top heel. While Bray Wyatt and Kevin Owens could easily fit the bill, the company has shown to be unwilling to give them that extra step to make them main-eventers so far. They don’t seem hesitant on doing that with Reigns, however.
WWE is without a compelling storyline. While the Wyatt Family vs. Brothers of Destruction feud is interesting, it may not last past this month’s pay-per-view. There’s nothing that’s set up to be long-lasting like Rollins and Reigns would have been. This could be replaced by a Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose feud, which would put the former Shield brothers head to head for the first time ever. Fans have wanted to see this and having it as a fresh feud for the title would be intriguing and draw fans in.
A Reigns and Ambrose feud would feature the former turning heel. This could be set up the night after Survivor Series on Raw. They could be put in a match by The Authority, who will attempt to “spice things up.” If Ambrose wins, he would face Reigns at TLC for the title. Ambrose could get a quick, schoolboy pin and get his chance at Reigns. This would frustrate and humiliate the former Georgia Tech player, causing him to beat down his former brother to close out Raw and develop hostility in this feud.
Reigns would go onto defeat Ambrose in this feud that could stretch into WrestleMania 32 season.
Fans also just want to boo Reigns. They never liked the manufactured push he received and call out his struggles on the microphone. Reigns could finally get comfortable and tell off the fans when he’s speaking as they boo him. He would become an aggressive heel that probably fits his style better.
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Then there’s Rollins. He already began planting the seeds for a face turn in an interview with WWE.com about his injury. He thanked the fans for their support, which is something his character would never do. This, along with the already large support for Rollins before his injury, will lead to a massive pop for his return, whenever it is.
When he returns, Rollins will also be chasing after his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Storylines are also always at their best when the babyface is chasing the heel, so fans will be ready to get behind the Architect when he comes back.
We won’t get into specifically how a Rollins return gets booked for SummerSlam 2016, but he should make his return sometime before the event. He challenges Reigns to a match, and we finally get these two in a bout, this time headlining SummerSlam, WWE’s second-biggest PPV of the year. It would be a match nearly two years in the making because of Rollins’ injury and Reigns’ during the fall of 2014 (they were supposed to go one on one at WWE Night of Champions).
We may be looking 9 months into the future, but seeing Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns headline SummerSlam 2016 wouldn’t be a surprise. It makes sense to pick things up right where they left off once Rollins comes back from the 6-9 month timetable. They could finally put on a match with babyface Rollins and heel Reigns for the title. It’s just a matter of WWE being willing to push the button on turning their next “guy” heel.
Next: 5 Best Choices to Replace Seth Rollins as WWE Champion
You can follow Rob Wolkenbrod on Twitter @RealRobWolkey. If you would like to send a report from a live event, email us at robert.wolkenbrod@gmail.com.