Seth Rollins Returns at WWE Extreme Rules 2016, Attacks Roman Reigns

Former WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins made his long-awaited return to WWE programming on Sunday night at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.

After Roman Reigns defeated AJ Styles to retain his world heavyweight title, Rollins emerged and hit his former Shield partner with a Pedigree, as WWE shared:

Rollins made it clear what his intentions were after attacking Reigns, via WWE Universe:

After the dust settled, Rollins asked a simple question to WWE fans on Twitter: 

WWE stars Mick Foley and Nikki Bella took to Twitter to proclaim their excitement for Rollins' return:

Bleacher Report's Chris "The Doctor" Mueller said what a lot of WWE fans were most likely thinking: 

In the midst of a 200-plus-day reign with the world title, Rollins suffered a devastating knee injury during a live event match against Kane in November. As first reported by ESPN's Jonathan Coachman, he tore his ACL, MCL and medial meniscus. He was expected to miss six to nine months of action.

Rollins was forced to vacate the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and aside from an appearance on the Slammy Awards edition of Raw, he had been out of sight ever since landing on the injured list.

While The Architect's knee ailment was a significant one that required a great deal of rehabilitation, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon suggested during a May 10 conference call that he and some of the company's other top injured stars were set to return within a month, per PWInsider (via Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com).

Rollins had been spotted working out at WWE's Performance Center in the weeks leading up to that revelation, and John Cena made sure to give a shoutout to the former Shield member on Twitter for his perseverance:

Now that Rollins is back in the fold, it completely changes the game within WWE. He was the No. 1 guy as world champion prior to getting injured, which means he will likely be inserted into the main event scene immediately.

With the way Extreme Rules ended with Reigns, it seems this is the route WWE will take.

Rollins could be used in any number of ways from a character perspective. He was a heel before the injury and played that role well, but the WWE Universe was thrilled to see him back, and there is no doubt that he could be a top face as well.

WWE has blurred the lines between faces and heels lately, particularly in the feud between Reigns and Styles, so the possibilities are limitless for Rollins.

The former Money in the Bank winner is among the top in-ring workers in the world, and he has made tremendous strides on the mic and in terms of character development in recent years.

There are few more complete talents than Rollins in all of professional wrestling, which is why his return is such a coup for WWE.

The main roster is brimming with talent, but Rollins is at or near the top of the list, and his presence gives the product an instant shot in the arm at an ideal time.

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