BOOK IT: Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 35

Seth Rollins is on fire right now. The Kinglsayer is the top hand on Monday Night Raw and every time he’s in the ring, he is must-see TV. Indeed he’s never looked better and at this point it’s nearly impossible to imagine him not returning back to the world title picture in WWE.

Many fans believe he’s the next man on deck to face the current Universal champion Brock Lesnar. They also believe that match will happen at WrestleMania 35. That’s an understandable sentiment of course, because there’s really no one else that’s closer to Brock’s level right now. Lesnar needs more than a challenger at WrestleMania; he needs a contender. He needs a viable opponent, someone that will push him to the limit and make fans believe a change is coming. Maybe Seth Rollins is that change.

Rollins checks all the boxes and is the most logical choice to take the title. It’s just that simple. Roman Reigns is still out of action dealing with medical issues. Braun Strowman has a shot at Lesnar at The Royal Rumble on January 27, but Brock has beaten him more than once. Finn Bálor is a great option but WWE has been unwilling to heat him up to any degree of relevancy.

Then there’s Drew McIntyre, who is once again starting down the road of The Chosen One. He’s not using those words of course but fans have seen this before. It’s not that he can’t become a top main event star. He’s proven himself more than once and fans know he’s capable of getting there. But whether or not WWE will actually move forward with him is unknown. 

Watch Triple H question Seth Rollins in the ring:

Triple H questions Seth Rollins' drive: Raw, Dec. 31, 2018

But Seth’s ability to rise to the occasion is well documented. Every time the company gives him the ball, he scores. It’s what he does. Rollins can elevate himself while elevating others and he does it while bringing the house down every time. It’s who he is. In any other pro wrestling company in any other environment, Seth Rollins would absolutely be the next top guy. 

However this is not just any pro wrestling company. This is WWE and Brock Lesnar is not just any top champion. He’s the highly paid prizefighter that comes and goes as he pleases. None of this is by his own hand of course. WWE agreed to do business with him in this fashion and fans must know by now that blaming him for his absentee booking is pointless. This is on the company.

The problem here is, how does one get over on a monstrous force of nature that can’t be beaten? The biggest names in WWE have tried to defeat him and they’ve all failed. From Dean Ambrose to Randy Orton to AJ Styles to Daniel Bryan, WWE’s best have stepped up. Brock Lesnar has knocked them all down.

WWE has shown no desire to move past The Beast Incarnate. Rollins is indeed a very valuable commodity on Monday Night Raw. He’s important to the brand and he’s important to the company. But he’s being held in one spot, just like every other would-be main event star on Monday nights. As long as Brock has the Universal Championship, no one else gets ahead. There is a ceiling and even Seth seems incapable of breaking through it.

Watch Seth brawl with Lashley on Raw:

Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley brawl as Raw comes on the air: Raw, Jan. 7, 2019

But is that really the case now? As popular as Lesnar is and as much as the company believes in him, the fact is that he won’t be around forever. He’s made no secret about his desire to return to the UFC. Lesnar wants Daniel Cormier. Fans want the Universal Championship back on TV. WWE can remedy the second situation. But the first situation is a bit trickier.

Lesnar signed a new deal with WWE in 2018. The length of that deal is unknown but if it stretches at least one year, then Brock could conceivably keep the Universal title throughout the bulk of 2019. However, Lesnar doesn’t exactly need the belt in order to be utilized. It could even be said that he’s much more dangerous without it. But if he does keep the title past Mania, then who could realistically step up and challenge him? The only name that seems to make any sense right now is Seth Rollins. So why not make it happen on The Grandest Stage of Them All?

Rollins has his hands full with Bobby Lashley. It’s a feud in progress and the two men will eventually clash in the ring. That collision will likely come at The Royal Rumble, either in a singles contest or the Rumble match itself. This is a good rivalry and will surely benefit both guys in the short term. But it’s definitely not a long term affair.

Watch Seth team up with Cena and Bálor on Raw:

Cena, Rollins & Bálor vs. Ambrose, McIntyre & Lashley: Raw, Jan. 7, 2019

However, Seth’s feud with Dean Ambrose probably is. This may be the one thing that keeps Rollins from facing off with Brock at WrestleMania. The feud between Rollins and Ambrose is deeply personal and it will take much more than brawling at house shows and a random confrontation on Raw to end the dispute.

Rollins wants to get his revenge on Ambrose and until he definitively does, their issue is not going to end. Could it be that they will fight all the way to Mania in April and possibly even beyond?

The point is that if WWE is planning to take the belt off of Brock at WrestleMania, then there is no better option than Seth Rollins. If a title loss is not the plan, then someone else can face The Beast and the outcome will make little difference to anyone. But the company is heating Seth up to a boil and he’s only getting hotter with each passing week. Why make that sort of effort unless he’s moving toward something big down the road?

Seth versus Brock is the most logical main event for the red brand at WrestleMania. Whether or not WWE will actually book it is anyone’s guess. But there is no denying that Seth Rollins is more than ready to take the reins of the red brand. Perhaps Monday Night Raw will indeed become Monday Night Rollins.

 

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Wrestling Rumors. His podcast, Tom Clark’s Main Event, is available on iTunes,YouTube, iHeart Radio, boinkstudios.com and live every Friday at 12pm EST on Wrestling Rumors Facebook Live