WWE WrestleMania 35: Seth Rollins showed exactly why he is a special babyface

In winning the Universal Championship from Brock Lesnar in such a hot opener, Seth Rollins showed exactly why he is such a special babyface.

Let’s be honest for a second: the build-up for Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins at WWE WrestleMania 35 has been dead in the water from the start.

Of course, it’s not anyone’s fault in particular. Well, not Rollins’s fault at least. Hard to create a compelling storyline when the Universal Champion shows up once in the four weeks until WrestleMania. Then again, truth be told, I haven’t been sold on Rollins potentially being the flag bearer of WWE for a very long time.

Ever since around the time his feud with Dean Ambrose disappointed, I felt as though Rollins lost his edge and wasn’t the same captivating babyface he was at the height of the previous summer. I responded to his Royal Rumble win with a shrug and wasn’t looking forward to his title match with Lesnar at all. I’m not sure if anyone else felt the same way, but I know a lot of people weren’t looking forward to the match at least.

However, at the top of the hour during tonight’s main Mania show, the Rollins from this past few months didn’t show up to Mania. We got the Rollins who we all fell in love with last summer. In that same spirit, Rollins was able to tell a story.

With every blow The Beast dealt to The Kingslayer, the crowd was invested. With every brief surge of a comeback, every Curb Stomp and a low blow in the middle of it all, the crowd was fired up at the thought of him winning. Then, when the bell rang, the crowd exploded when the Beast was finally slain by the Beast Slayer.

For that reaction alone, for bringing a dead crowd to life, Rollins is a special babyface. Hell, he actually made me turn the corner on him and the match itself. Few people can turn an entire crowd around when the build has been weak. That is the makings of a special babyface if there ever was one.

Going into it, I had my doubts on Rollins being the face of the company. Now, I can’t wait to see what Monday Night Rollins has in store.