Seth Rollins Should Not Be Impacted by Recent Controversy

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last several days, wrestling fans have seen the controversy that has surrounded WWE Superstar Seth Rollins following the release of nude photographs after Rollins' social media accounts were allegedly hacked.

While there is a contingent of fans that believe Rollins should be punished for the incident, the WWE would be wise to issue Mr. Money in the Bank a stern public warning for his first offense and move forward.

The New York Daily News' Jason Silverstein reported on the controversy, in which a nude picture of NXT Diva Zahra Schreiber was posted to Rollins' social media accounts. Rollins' fiancee, Leighla Schultz, then allegedly posted nude pictures of Rollins on her Facebook account and mocked him in posts to a friend.

Per Silverstein, "She also wrote several posts on a friend’s Facebook page mocking Rollins and quoting things he may have said to Schreiber, such as: 'I hate my life and my fiancee; I just wanted to run away with you.'"

At this stage, however, it is unclear how the photos of Schrieber were posted to the social media websites.

The WWE has already started handling the backlash over the nude photos by asking the rest of the roster to respectfully refrain from saying anything else about the incident in public out of respect for Rollins, according to PWInsider (h/t WrestleZone). Rollins also apologized for the incident on Twitter:

WWE Superstars are responsible for their own social media feeds, but this became the company’s problem because Rollins’ Twitter feed was on WWE.com, allowing anyone who visited the site to see the nudity, according to Deadspin (h/t Silverstein).

As a company with a target demographic that includes children and teenagers, there will undoubtedly be sponsors and investors who will have questions. While the WWE could have been furious—and likely were after the news initially broke—PWInsider.com is reporting that there is no backstage heat on Rollins for the incident "as they feel his accounts were obviously hacked" (via WrestleZone).

Now that WWE has already moved past the incident and the mainstream publicity has started to die down surrounding the leaks, the company should have no reason to alter its long-term WrestleMania plans.

Rollins is one of the cornerstones of the company moving forward, and he has the Money in the Bank briefcase because the people calling the shots see him as one of the top heels in the business and a future world champion.

There is a chance that Rollins’ punishment would be losing the Money in the Bank match when he does eventually cash in, but the WWE would be unwise to alter its long-term booking as a punishment for the incident. 

In the ring and on the mic, Rollins has emerged as one of the best in the WWE and is clearly one of the fundamental building blocks for the future. He should be reprimanded for making poor decisions and even taken off media tours for a while, but the company should not let all of the build go to waste by casting Rollins aside when times get tough.

Rollins should be slapped on the wrist and allowed to move forward wiser to the reality of his position at the top of the company.

As long as Rollins learns from this experience and the WWE gives him the support needed, this will help the future world champion mature and hopefully blossom into a reliable Superstar.

While it is unfortunate that these private photographs of Rollins and Schrieber were released without their consent, WWE officials clearly do not blame Rollins for the incident, so changing the game plan for WrestleMania 31 and beyond would be foolish.

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