Seth Rollins Showed On WWE Raw How To Become A Babyface In Just One Night
Quick Links
Aside from his new and refreshing take on the product, one of the biggest reasons fans are enjoying the Triple H regime so far is the attention to detail. Storylines actually last longer than fifteen minutes, and more often than not lately, several of them converge in unique and fun ways. So far it’s been working to near perfection.
Related: Seth Rollins Teases The Return Of His Blonde Streak
Take Monday Night Raw from November 7th. It was easily the best Raw under the Triple H regime, and it centered on several storylines converging to once again place Seth Rollins atop the babyface mountain. The WWE Universe has been singing his song for months now, and it would be shocking if Seth Rollins goes back to being a heel after the hero’s performance he gave Monday Night.
The Latest Monday Night Raw Had Seth Rollins Battling Heels
To recap what was nearly a perfect Monday Night Raw as far as storylines are concerned, The Visionary Seth Rollins danced and swayed to the ring as the WWE Universe in Wilkes-Barre sang him to the ring. Like so many US Champions before him, after welcoming us all to Monday Night Rollins, he declared the US Title Open Challenge open for business. On cue, out came The Judgment Day, with the heel faction standing on all four sides of the ring. The heel US champ was approached by Finn Balor, who brought up their shared history and tried to accept the open challenge. The OC came out to deal with their rivals and the champ slunk away unscathed.
When Rollins returned to close the night out, his wannabe rival, Mustafa Ali was annihilated by Bobby Lashley, who accepted the open challenge, devastating Rollins and leaving him laying. This brought out Austin Theory, who thought cashing in the briefcase would be a good idea, until Seth Rollins put on a heroic performance and survived the cash in as the fans once again sang his song to end the show.
Under Triple H's Vision, Seth Rollins Has Slowly Been Turning Babyface
Since he dropped the Monday Night Messiah deal, Rollins has become The Drip God, which has given him an excuse to wear all sorts of wild gear. He added behavior akin to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, dancing around and laughing maniacally at everything. It kept him a heel, but at the same time, the fans have always recognized the skill Rollins has and admired it. Once Triple H took over creative, he assured Seth (and the fans) via Twitter that he does indeed hear the crowd singing his song.
Related: 10 Cringey Seth Rollins Moments We Completely Forgot About
Ever so subtly, Rollins has been leaning more and more towards the babyface side of the aisle, but still engaging in a bitter, personal feud with the beloved Matt Riddle. Monday Night started like any other night for Rollins as a heel, even slithering away from Judgment Day. But with just a few subtle tweaks in his behavior and choices in opponents (and maybe Rollins’ new blondish look), all contributed to a triumphant babyface turn.
After Months Of Losses, Seth Rollins Is Winning Again
Between the excitement of Triple H of taking over, bringing back stars, shifting to a more cohesive storytelling approach, and coming off a very good Crown Jewel, WWE has a ton of momentum going for the company right now. That momentum has paid off in putting a guy like Rollins back on top of the card, and as possibly the top babyface in the company right now. Some fans have bemoaned the fact that someone as strong as Seth Rollins has been losing a lot lately. The recent push of The Visionary has just proven, within a very short time, just how powerful a victory or two could be.
With Seth Rollins being a part of several major segments, helping to tie together several storylines and advance them like the debut of Mia Yim, Lashley getting more and more violent, and Austin Theory losing the briefcase, this episode felt a lot like an old Attitude Era Raw with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin peppered all throughout the show.
Related: Seth Rollins' Best WWE Singles PPV Matches, According To Dave Meltzer
It’s this kind of storytelling to weave angles and storylines together that makes the product feel more real and focused. Now that Rollins is firmly back as a centerpiece of Raw, it is proof positive that not only what Triple H is doing is proving to be a success, but also that Seth Freakin' Rollins belongs on top of the card more often than not. In just two big segments, not only was him becoming the top babyface a focal point, but at least five possible programs sprung out of just two loaded segments of Raw. The beautiful part about this new babyface turn is that there is a good chance Rollins won't have to change anything about the attitude that was getting him cheered. As Triple H continues to put his chess pieces on the board, Rollins has become in one night a marquee player to be used practically wherever he is needed.
