WWE Raw: Analyzing Seth Rollins’ shocking but inevitable heel turn

Before we start cursing Seth Rollins’ for his shocking but inevitable betrayal of the WWE Universe, let us break down why it was always bound to happen.

The post-Survivor Series episode of Raw presented several shocking twists and turns, but arguably, the most shocking of them all came when former WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins turned heel on the crowd and the entire Raw roster.

Except the turn itself was not all that shocking. It wasn’t predictable, no, but it was a moment that was always bound to happen whether WWE originally planned for it to happen or not. Let me explain …

For the better part of 2019, Seth Rollins (both in and out of character) has likened himself to being a locker room leader and the leading face of “Monday Night Rollins.” He’s championed the red brand (and the WWE brand in general) several times on social media, almost to his detriment. His attempts to big-up his company has gotten him in Twitter squabbles with the likes of Will Ospreay of NJPW fan.

Then, some harsh comments he directed at his former Shield mate, best known now as AEW’s Jon Moxley, didn’t position Rollins in the best light either. And most recently, he has been adamant about trying to goad CM Punk into one last wrestling match when, clearly, Punk isn’t interested.

All of this stuff was enough to sour many fans on the Seth Rollins character and the negative reaction that he has received at a few shows – specifically Hell in a Cell and a few Raw episodes since then – has made that evident.

Given the boos he has continued to receive week in and week out, it seemed inevitable that a Seth Rollins heel turn was either coming or inevitable. WWE may have seemed reluctant at first to push towards that route given how much they’ve invested into making Rollins’ their top babyface and premiere Superstar on Raw, but sometimes, when the reactions become this lukewarm, it just can’t be salvaged anymore.

Thankfully, WWE seemed to finally not only pull that trigger this past Monday, but did so by allowing Rollins to embrace the public perception of him. Much like how his aforementioned interview comments and tweets seem to suggest about the real man, this new emerging heel character for Rollins means well and only wants the best for his company, but the way he goes about it comes on a little strong. He wants to pull his comrades by their bootstraps, but does so by bashing them mercilessly until the people around him grow to hate him.

As history has proven, the best heels are the ones who embrace the negative way that fans view them. Fans think Roddy Piper’s a loudmouth? He turned the volume up. Charlotte Flair’s entitled and living off her family name? Call her the Queen and have her fully Wooooo as arrogantly as her daddy used to. Seth Rollins is full of himself and lacks self awareness? Have him give a rah-rah speech and get perplexed when no one responds well to being told they suck.

These make for the best characters and, often, the best storylines. I fully expect the same for Seth Rollins going forward now that he’s embraced the hate.