Seth Rollins' WWE Return Emphasizes Crucial Issues Facing Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins' return at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on May 22 not only strengthened the WWE roster with the addition of yet another main event talent; it also emphasized the crucial issues surrounding the man he attacked, world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns.

After a grueling, successful title defense against AJ Styles, Reigns found himself on the receiving end of a chorus of boos.

Those jeers let up only when Rollins rushed the ring and dropped his former Shield brethren with a Pedigree. In that moment, WWE found itself in a conundrum.

The hero it had worked so hard to build was rejected in favor of the heel it had booked to dominate the industry in the sneakiest, most underhanded ways.

As WWE continues to tout its New Era, it must realize that Reigns' success as champion will forever be intricately linked to Rollins for a number of reasons.

Popularity in Relation to Character Development

Credit: WWE.com

When discussing the popularity of Rollins and Reigns, one must look no further than their WWE World Heavyweight Championship victories at WrestleManias 31 and 32, respectively.

Rollins' win was exciting, an unexpected Money in the Bank cash-in that fit perfectly within the context of his character. He was sneaky and cunning, seizing an opportunity and underhandedly escaping The Showcase of the Immortals with the top prize in the industry.

The fans responded, erupting for the moment. Not only did they favor Rollins to Reigns; they also appreciated that the events that unfolded before their eyes were interesting and relative to the character. Their pop to close out the show generated great interest in the product, as many were left wondering what Rollins had in store for the title.

That was not the case with Reigns.

First, Reigns had nothing even remotely close to a character to speak of. From the moment The Shield split in the spring of 2014, Reigns has embarked on a singles character devoid of any evolution. He has been the same guy for two years.

The only thing that has changed in the slightest has been the tagline he spouts on television.

"I can. I will." "I'm the guy." Both are nice slogans for T-shirts, but neither will make up for the lack of on-screen persona for fans to sink their teeth into.

Reigns' victory over Triple H in the marquee match of WrestleMania was met with apathy and a wealth of boos. Fans were defeated, their efforts to derail his push unsuccessful.

He was reigning atop the WWE mountain whether they liked it or not.

Rollins may be a serial cheater and ruthless villain, but at least there is something about him for fans to care about one way or another. Reigns' complete lack of interesting characteristics has cost him the emotional investment of the WWE Universe.

Organic vs. Forced Runs

Credit: WWE.com

Even as The Shield bowled over competition en route to becoming one of the most dominant factions in WWE history, it was clear Reigns was being groomed to one day rise to the top of the industry.

Take one look at the 2014 Royal Rumble, where he was the runner-up to Batista and the man handpicked to break the record for most eliminations, which was set some 13 years earlier.

Whereas Reigns was forced to the top of the company—despite raucous boos and failed attempts at snagging sympathy from The Rock—Rollins evolved organically.

After the initial heel turn, he developed into a smarmy, unlikable villain. Even when his lines were incredibly cheesy, he made the most of them, winning the crowd over on the mic as much as he did between bells.

While Reigns has more than proved himself in the ring, most recently in an extraordinary series against AJ Styles, everything about him remains forced. He is shoved down the audience's throat despite complete and utter rejection from the audience.

Rollins' return was met with great excitement. The cheers had as much to do with the potential that he would overthrow Reigns and return to greatness as champion as they did his triumphant return from injury.

He is the best option to be the face of WWE's New Era, but is he the one the fans will get?

Looking to the Future

Credit: WWE.com

As good as Reigns has been and as hard as he has worked, one has to wonder how long WWE will allow him to continue being massacred by negative crowd reactions across the country.

His situation is not even comparable to that of John Cena, who at least enjoyed a split reaction in any of the cities he competed in.

Reigns is almost universally rejected, while Rollins was greeted by a thunderous ovation in his first few nights back, proving that fans were more interested in seeing The Architect back in a high-profile spot on the show than the current heavyweight champion of the world.

The WWE brand extension creates the opportunity for both men to headline either Raw or SmackDown. It also presents the chance for management to separate them, to keep Rollins away from Reigns and, in the process, shield—pun completely intended—Reigns from the unfavorable comparisons to his former tag team, championship-winning partner.