WWE: 5 fresh rivalries for ‘Monday Night Messiah’ Seth Rollins

Big E

While we’ve seen a storied rivalry in past years between The Shield and The New Day, Seth Rollins and Big E haven’t faced each other in singles competition since an episode of WWE Main Event back in 2014. Their previous clash came on WWE NXT in December of 2012 when Big E defeated Seth Rollins to become the new NXT Champion.

A lot has happened in the last eight years. While Big E found success primarily as a tag team competitor, Seth Rollins transitioned from tag team work and became a 2-time WWE Champion and 2-time Universal Champion. Big E is looking to change things with a singles run right now, and a marquee rivalry with Seth Rollins could go a long way towards earning him a future championship opportunity.

The pieces all fit here, as Big E is one of the most beloved babyfaces in the company while Seth Rollins has become one of the most hated heels since dubbing himself “The Monday Night Messiah.” The history is there, the timing is right, and this rivalry would be something truly fresh for both men.

Jeff Hardy

Finally, we have a match that’s surprisingly never been seen before. Not once have we seen Jeff Hardy vs. Seth Rollins in singles action. They’ve shared the ring only four times on WWE television, and two of those saw them on the same side. Seth Rollins teamed with Dean Ambrose to take on The Hardy Boyz in August of 2017, and they were both competitors in the 2019 Men’s Royal Rumble.

While he’s been back in WWE since April of 2017, Jeff Hardy still hasn’t faced Seth Rollins in a one-on-one contest. Considering Hardy’s contract won’t last forever, and he may not be looking to re-sign with the company, WWE is running out of time to make this potential dream match a reality.

While he’s been much more calculated in recent years, if you look back on the NXT days of Seth Rollins and his years on the independent scene as Tyler Black, you can feel a definite influence on his appearance and in-ring style by the veteran Jeff Hardy. The way Seth Rollins used to frantically swing the NXT Championship around his head felt just like the kind of thing we might’ve seen a young Jeff Hardy do years before.

Much like the potential Big E rivalry, this one also works because Jeff Hardy is one of the clearest babyfaces in the company right now. Whether he’s still Intercontinental Champion when they clash or not, we could see these two high-flying competitors from different eras put together something truly special that will never be forgotten.