Has Seth Rollins Replaced Roman Reigns as WWE’s Most Hated Babyface?

Seth Rollins is a top star in WWE. Many would argue that he is the top star in WWE and it’s difficult to argue the point. He’s the two time WWE Universal champion, he’s gotten over on Brock Lesnar twice, he’s the featured attraction on Monday Night Raw and he’s been a company guy every step of the way.

But during his journey as WWE’s primary protagonist, something very curious has happened to Seth Rollins. The Beastslayer was indeed one of the most popular Superstars on the roster and regularly received a massive pop during his run. But Seth has begun to lose the crowd. It began very quietly at first, but the negative reaction has become too loud to ignore. Seth Rollins has replaced Roman Reigns as WWE’s top guy, but has he also replaced him as WWE’s most hated babyface?

It’s a role that fans likely did not see Seth assuming in WWE. From the moment that he turned face again and mended fences with Reigns, Rollins was cheered for his efforts. The cocky and arrogant lapdog of The Authority was nothing but a pawn in Triple H’s hands. But when he decided to go solo once again, Rollins proved he had what it took to rise to the top.

Being in spot as the top heel was working for him, but it’s not the same thing. Being the top babyface is extremely demanding, as it calls for the Superstar in question to become the face of the company. As such, Rollins had to step up his game and be the corporate spokesman that he is today.

Relive Rollins vs. Wyatt at Hell in a Cell!

Seth defends WWE as if he were the owner and that’s been very obvious on social media. Rollins has nothing but criticism for anyone with something negative to say toward his company. WWE is his home and he takes great pride in being the top guy The fact is that even his critics can’t hold that against him.

Far too often talents are criticized for not taking their business seriously, but this has not been the case with Seth Rollins. The Beastslayer is focused and he’s wholly committed to WWE and its fans. It’s who he is and anyone who hates him for that may be missing the point. Yes, he’s towing the company line but he’s also showing a tremendous amount of loyalty. Rollins has had no reason to do otherwise, so this is how things are for the current Universal champion.

But this is not the same Seth Rollins that was once working hard to prove himself as a main event star in WWE. That Seth was hungry, he was fiery and he had a massive chip on his shoulder. He wanted to show that he was fully capable of being the man in Vince McMahon’s company and he did just that.

So once he got to the top, it should have been a perfect scenario. He achieved his goals by getting over in the ring and getting his opponents over as well. However, Seth’s crowning as the new face of WWE was perhaps not the career defining moment that many felt it would be. 

Watch The Fiend get revenge on Rollins!

Instead, Rollins suddenly became stale. The man that fought so hard to rise up was now standing still with nowhere else to go. Taking Brock Lesnar down is a nearly impossible task in 2019, especially for a younger star. But taking him down twice in the same year? What’s left for Seth after that?

CM Punk once cut a promo on John Cena where he accused John of becoming the New York Yankees. Essentially, Cena had rebelled against the status quo for so long that he became the status quo and he was a changed man because of it. Is this what’s happened now with Seth Rollins?

The irony here is that Seth is traveling the same path as John, but he’s also traveling the same path as Roman. It seems that in the world of WWE, a top babyface is in high demand until he becomes the top babyface, then everything changes. Punk, Stone Cold Steve Austin and a few select others are perhaps the exceptions. But Rollins and Reigns are two of a kind.

Roman faced the same challenges as Seth when he was climbing the ladder in WWE. The fans turned on Reigns as well, booing him out of the building more often than not. No matter what Roman did or how much he tried to win the crowd over, he just couldn’t do it. His push seemed to last forever and the company was intent on staying the course.

Rollins burns it down!

But now that Roman has slid out of that top spot, he has a new lease on life in WWE. He still has haters and likely always will. But it’s not like it was before, as Roman typically gets a positive reaction more than he gets a negative one. It’s as if fans are willing to support a face to a point, but then they want that face brought back down to earth. Maybe this is exactly what’s going on with Seth Rollins.

Of course Seth and Roman are two very different people. Roman often took it on the chin and either ignored the criticism or simply dismissed it as unimportant. Like Cena before him, Roman was very diplomatic about the situation and kept his composure at all times. But this is not Seth Rollins.

Seth is passionate about his work and sometimes his attitude is a bit combustible. Haters will hate, but Seth will fight them every time. He’s not the kind of guy to sit back in silence. Rollins will state his opinion and he will speak his mind every time. But will this help his cause, or just make matters worse?

The fact is that Seth Rollins is bound to WWE’s booking, as is every Superstar on the roster. If the booking is off, he will have to deal with the consequences. This is precisely what happened at Hell in a Cell, when Bray Wyatt was presented as the invincible challenger and Seth was seen as the desperate champion. Rollins’ character took things too far and because of this, he’s in worse shape than he was before. 

Seth Rollins has worked hard to reach the top, there is no denying that. He was given the opportunity to shine and he rose to the occasion. He’s one of the best wrestlers in WWE and many argue he is the best. Whether or not he can overcome the hate and weather the storm as the company’s top babyface is unknown. But there’s no doubt that he will work harder than everyone around him to do exactly that. 

 

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