Seth Rollins belongs as a heel in the WWE.
As I sat in attendance during Monday Night Raw in Pittsburgh last week, I was naturally taken aback as the opening to Seth Rollins’s new theme music screamed “Burn it Down!” At the moment, Rollins comes off as the antithesis of someone who is looking to burn anything down, as he is putting out the fire he started three years ago with Dean Ambrose.
Ambrose, with the memories of profound chair shots still ringing in his ears (certainly in his ribcage), has outright rejected each of Rollins’s advances. In addition, fans and wrestling experts have rejected the new and improved, righteous, redemption-seeking “Seth FREAKIN’ Rollins.”
On his podcast, Steve Austin has mentioned on more than one occasion that he does not know who Rollins is supposed to be at the moment. The Architect has not constructed a plan since turning face, has failed to be much more than a very-skilled and somewhat vanilla professional wrestler, and has not displayed any form of behavior that indicates that anything is going to be burnt down.
Regardless of these opinions, even if they come from a global icon and national treasure like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, there is a near-endless depth, and darkness, to the Rollins character at the moment. Rollins is a man hell-bent on being forgiven for his sins, as he not only dismantled a group determined to bring justice to the WWE in The Shield, but decimated the symbolism he held as a representative of independent wrestling grabbing the unattainable WWE brass ring.
With just a couple chair shots, the character of Rollins forever bought stock in a quicksand of sin. When one falls into quicksand, strength, nor speed, nor God’s own forgiveness will permit a living being from escaping it. The victim is forever married to the quicksand.
Rollins is forever married to the abyss he created with his own hands when striking Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose with that steel chair. The Rollins we are now presented with is a superstar in denial.
Addicts of various arenas tend to seek amends upon the realization that their actions have “burned down” all bridges leading to anything resembling righteousness. The first step Rollins took towards making amends was when he slayed the king, Triple H, at WrestleMania 33. Thinking that he was back on the path to righteousness after Mania, Seth went on to battle Hunter’s henchman, Samoa Joe, before seeking the one thing it would take to cement himself in the ranks of the righteous: earn back the trust of Dean Ambrose.
Critics have speculated where the current storyline is going. Some have called for a reunion of The Shield, a move that would add flavor to the supposedly stale former members Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose. The most-widely predicted outcome is an eventual Dean Ambrose heel turn once he ultimately rejects the olive branch extended by the major babyface Rollins. However, a heel turn typically requires a babyface to be screwed over in the process.
Make no mistake; Rollins is no babyface.
Rollins has an in-ring ability that can get over with the stingiest of crowds. However, his babyface promos have been accused of being bland and stereotypical, utilizing tried-and-true newly-babyface tactics such as thanking to the crowd for trusting he has changed, to being the cool wisecracker that only the innovative writing staff of the WWE can produce. His babyface tactics seem about as natural as the hand Mae Young gave birth to. This, however, is due to the fact that Rollins, to his core, is a true heel.
In order to earn redemption, Rollins ultimately needs the true forgiveness of Dean Ambrose, an absolution that will never come. At this moment, Rollins is beginning to realize that those chair shots he laid on his “brothers” three years forever married him to the dark side. His theme song screams “Burn it Down” because that is exactly what he is getting ready to do to the WWE.
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This time, there is no Triple H or Stephanie to keep him controlled. Now, his is on his own to willfully and permanently jump into the abyss, having signed his soul to the Devil three years ago. Once he jumps, realizing he is forever damned, WWE is going to have a character on their hands that can finally serve at the heat-absorbing main event heel they have needed for quite some time.