Seth Rollins is right about The Rock: ‘We don’t need him’
Seth Rollins is one of the biggest names in professional wrestling today and he has drawn the line in the idea of The Rock returning to face Roman Reigns.
Across the professional sports and entertainment industry there’s a lot to say about when the “torch” is passed to the up and comers. Think about Brett Favre struggling to step aside for Aaron Rodgers, or Tom Holland stepping into the role as the new Spider-Man.
All of these moments point toward the need for an organization or industry to trust a youthful mind, body and talent to fill in a space that’s needed by fans. The same approach needs to occur in professional wrestling and standout WWE performer, Seth Rollins, believes the time is now to begin leaning on the talent of today.
During a conversation with Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated, the multiple-time champion touched on a variety of topics across professional wrestling and the WWE. One of the points that stood out was his feelings on the rumored idea of a match between Roman Reigns and his famous cousin, The Rock.
“We don’t need him,” Rollins said. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Rocky. I think he’s great. Love everything he’s done for the business. But my gut, my first instinct, says we don’t need him.”
That’s quite the statement. Rollins isn’t talking about a standard former champion coming back to the wrestling ring. He’s talking about a man who has held 17 WWE titles and is now being recognized as one of the biggest box office draws in the motion picture industry. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is box office in a variety of ways and his inclusion in a WWE storyline and event immediately draws additional eye balls to the product. Rollins is talking about an individual who could potentially bring in millions in a moment for the organization. But upon further review of his statements, Seth is correct.
“If we’re not the guys who can main event WrestleMania, then how are we ever gonna be The Rock,” Rollins stated. “How are we ever gonna be Stone Cold Steve Austin? We can’t hold onto these guys forever. We just can’t. To me, let’s do Seth Rollins – Roman Reigns before we do Seth Rollins – The Rock. That’s just me.”
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He’s 100 percent correct. If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that Father Time is undefeated. No matter what happens, there’s going to be a point in time in which the WWE will no longer be able to lean on the names of The Rock, The Undertaker, Stone Cold or even the returning Hulk Hogan to draw immediate interest in their product.
Fans are rejecting the infrequent appearances of Brock Lesnar and it seems like the WWE is having its hand forced as he prepares to return to the WWE. The question now becomes who the promotion leans on to build into the stars of the future. Whether WWE Creative wants to believe it or not, the cupboards are bristling with names that should be groomed into the next big thing for the WWE.
There’s Rollins, Reigns, Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and many others who have the look and the abilities to break through to something bigger. Plus, the organization is grooming other names like Ricochet, Andrade Almas, Pete Dunne and others to be the future of the sport.
The time is now for them to start booking these stars in such a way. If the WWE is so keen on bringing these big names back for one-off big matches, that means they have to be used to put over the talent that’s currently on the roster. This isn’t a new idea – as everyone has put over the next man up at some point in time. If any of the men and women on the current roster is meant to be that next big star, it’s time for the WWE to treat them as such.
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Seth Rollins was dead on with his statements to Sports Illustrated. The promotion cannot continue to lean on names from the past in hopes to stay relevant in the future. It’s impossible. Rollins is just one of the few names that the WWE can begin to build into the next big thing. But regardless of who they choose, the time to start doing so is right this moment.