After nearly four years without World Championship gold around his waist, Seth Rollins officially recaptured the title once more at Night of Champions, defeating AJ Styles in the opening contest to become the top attraction for RAW moving forward.
For Rollins, this championship means even more than most because now, after months and months of having to hang out on the sidelines and watch his former The Shield factionmate shows up once every six weeks or so to defend his strap, WWE will finally have a World Champion they can be proud of; a champion who won't “hand-pick” his challengers and instead take on any foe who comes his way.
Stopping by The Bump to discuss his championship plans, Rollins noted that, unlike Roman Reigns, he actually likes having challengers “snipping at his heels.”
“Just open it up. Roman Reigns hand-picks his opponents. You can see it. He’s been doing it for years. It’s a smart move. It’s a smart move if you’re only interested in yourself,” Rollins said via Fightful. “But I’ve been interested in myself for a long time. Myself is great, but also myself is fine. I’m going to be fine, so let’s open it up. I want everybody coming. I want the wolves snipping at my heels. I want to run, I want to climb the mountain, let’s go. I want everybody chasing me to the top. I want to raise the entire scene. I want all the ships to come up with me. I’m ready for that challenge. I want it now more than ever. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been. I’m just hitting my prime, I’m just hitting my hot steak. Let’s ride it til I can’t do it no more.”
Jeez, Rollins has been talking a lot of trash on Reigns for someone who is firmly committed to being a RAW Superstar, whereas “The Tribal Chief” is supposed to stay on SmackDown. Whether this is leading to some future title shot, an incredible match at Survivor Series, or just some long-term storytelling that may not lead to anything, it's clear Rollins is relishing his current spot at the top of the RAW card and the opportunities it presents.
"We needed a prize to fight for since our Universal Champion wants to keep his part-time schedule…" 👀@WWERollins isn't holding back on #WWETheBump 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4veaxS2Z0a
— WWE (@WWE) May 31, 2023
Seth Rollins believes RAW is loaded with would-be challengers.
Elsewhere in his appearance on The Bump, Seth Rollins was asked about what it feels like to be the first-ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and what it means for his career moving forward. For Rollins, the opportunity is special because he not only gets to charge forward as the top performer on RAW but because of all of the new opportunities for banger matches that present his way.
“It’s special. Any time you’re able to do something for the first time, it’s special, and it feels special. This one was the biggest of the three, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because this was a culmination,”Rollins said. “This title doesn’t exist if our industry and our company isn’t so healthy with incredible talent across the board. There was a need for a title on Monday nights. There was a need for a new title because everybody is so good. You look across the board, myself, AJ Styles, all the SmackDown guys, really. Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Gunther. You look at Raw, you got Cody Rhodes, you got Kevin, you got Sami. There’s just tons of guys, tons of competition at the top, and we needed a prize to fight for since our Universal Champion wants to keep his part-time schedule. So we gotta have a title. I was more than thrilled to have it. I’m more than thrilled to be the guy to usher in this new era, an era of change.”
Will RAW experience a new era of genuine change under Seth Rollins? Will he actually allow all challengers to come his way, competing with performers from all walks of life and amassing as many championship defenses in 2023 as Reigns has with the WWE Championship over his 424-day title reign, which, shockingly, is only seven defenses? Or will Rollins instead fall victim to the usual WWE booking strategy of saving title defenses for “Premium Live Events” in order to keep the prestige of the strap intact? Either way, after Paul “Triple H” Levesque called the title a working man's championship, a moniker typically reserved for the Intercontinental Championship, “The Visionary” is looking to put in the work needed to firmly cement his legacy on his brand new title and really set the stage for what it can be moving forward.
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