Seth Rollins: Projecting Remaining Longevity of WWE Title Reign

Seth Rollins' immediate future as WWE World Heavyweight Champion looks probably safer than it's been for a long time at the moment.

With a likely battle against John Cena at SummerSlam scheduled on August 23 and very little chance of Rollins' enjoyable reign coming to an end there, the news that Cena suffered a broken nose on Raw this past week only further strengthens Rollins' grip on the title.

Why? If Cena is unlikely to compete at SummerSlam—and judging by the news coming from WrestlingInc.com this week that Cena has had surgery, that could well be the case—it's almost impossible that WWE would throw someone in at short notice to take the belt away from Rollins.

So when projecting the longevity remaining in a title reign that started all the way back at WrestleMania, we can almost hop over the first obstacle with ease. But rather than taking it on a show-by-show basis, it would be better to work out Rollins' longevity as champion by assessing those around him.

For instance, what happens after SummerSlam? In many ways similar to the potential bout with Cena, there just aren't that many legitimate options out there for Rollins at the moment—and in that sense, there's nobody credible or realistic enough to wrangle the title away from him.

The company seem to have abandoned the feud with Dean Ambrose, which for some will be a shame. Ambrose and Rollins had been feuding on and off for over a year, and they always managed to pull off a decent match or storyline whenever they engaged together.

The reaction Ambrose received during his push up to main event status for that title rivalry suggested that he's popular enough to carry off another run at Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship—but you have to assume that with Ambrose set to enter the Roman Reigns/Bray Wyatt rivalry, his title prospects are scuppered for a while.

And speaking of Reigns, he could well be the next guy who enters the fray to get a shot. Assuming Cena does not win—whether he competes or not—and drops back down to focus on the United States Championship, there is clearly an opening there.

Could Reigns be that guy? Well, after realizing it made a mess of his initial push by going too hard, too quick, WWE has taken a slow-burner approach with Reigns over the last few months to try to establish him as a star fans can buy into once again.

The downside is that there will always be some who don't forgive him for denying a Daniel Bryan or a Bray Wyatt the chance to win the Royal Rumble earlier this year, but Reigns has shown potential in the last few months that he can handle the main event scene.

Should he both perform well in the ring and get the desired result against Wyatt at SummerSlam, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship may be in his sights. But would he take it away from Rollins in the short term? It seems highly unlikely—WWE will want to test the water with Reigns in the main event scene before handing him the title.

The more you assess the field, the longer it looks before Seth Rollins will be dropping his title. WWE fans may have to put up with interim, sporadic feuds over the coming months, like the John Cena one, before they truly see a rivalry worthy of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

You may see Cena, you may see Kane—you may even see Triple H if WWE decides to flip on The Authority storyline. But what you won't see is any of those guys dethroning Rollins any time soon. They're just not at Rollins' level in terms of in-ring performing and fan popularity—two of the biggest assets required to be a successful champion.

Of course, you also have the option of Sheamus cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but as long as Rollins is champion, there's no way that could ever really happen.

Not only has Sheamus' run as Money in the Bank briefcase holder gotten off to a pretty timid start, but also having a heel beat a heel is illogical at best. Perhaps WWE would be more suited to having a cash-in toward the early part of next year and allow Sheamus to get entangled in several other feuds before ascending to world title level. 

The most accurate prediction would be to imagine and assume Rollins stays as WWE World Heavyweight Champion until the turn of the year. The business naturally heats up when WrestleMania season rolls around, and if Brock Lesnar succumbs to The Undertaker at SummerSlam, perhaps Lesnar will go away and take stock before setting up another feud with Rollins at the Royal Rumble.

The two men clearly have unfinished business, and Lesnar looks like one of the only men who could realistically beat Rollins at the moment.

So for now, don't be expecting Seth Rollins to lose the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It's only as we head toward the first part of 2016 when his championship reign may start to come under serious scrutiny.