WWE Hot Take: Let Seth Rollins Finish His Story at WrestleMania 40

Over the course of the recent Bloodline saga with Roman Reigns and the spotlight on Cody Rhodes finishing his story, Seth Rollins has felt like an afterthought, sidelined.

It's hard to imagine that's by design, but WWE could end up pretending it is before leaning into beloved pro wrestling history.

To summarize: Perhaps it's best to let Seth Rollins finish his story.

Yes, some fans will decry the idea Rollins has been "sidelined" after the company made another top title, strapped it to his waist and has refused to let him lose. But he's very much felt like a side character at best in the overarching Rhodes-Reigns-Rock plot on the march to WrestleMania.

So much so, at the 'Mania press conference, he was reduced to playing a side role nobody wanted to challenge and has since been a sidekick at best to Rhodes on weekly broadcasts. Heck, the man can't even encourage Damian Priest to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on him despite obvious injuries.

Along the way, though, WWE has seeded some pretty interesting history throughout Rollins' promos and interactions. He's mentioned that if anyone knows how to take down Reigns, it's him.

And he's right—so much so that it's hard not to wonder if WWE shouldn't let him slide back into a heel role, ultimately costing Rhodes everything.

Think about it. The biggest problem for Rollins is fan apathy. He's overexposed, a babyface with wacky outfits who has fans rooting for even Shinsuke Nakamura to end his "boring' title reign.

What better way to turn things around for Rollins than to have him go back to that Shield-ruining Architect role? From a character standpoint, he's got every reason to justify it. Rhodes got the best of him multiple times upon his WWE return and took his spot. He's the one who took down the Shield, so he should be the only one to cripple Roman's empire. Angering the fans who are "bored" with him by spoiling Rhodes' big chance would simply be a bonus bit of petty revenge.

And let's be completely honest—Rhodes is better in "chase" mode anyway. If he ends up beating Reigns, finally finishing this story, how long until fans turn on his title run? Because like it or not, once he's champion, he'll face the same overexposure issues while retreading main events fans have seen. And it'll be in stark contrast to Reigns' run, which felt like a more mainstream, big-time event feel each time.

If we're comparing stories, too, fans wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest Rolins has the better one. Not that Rhodes' isn't great. But The American Nightmare had his shot already and was literally going to be shelved until overwhelming negative reactions to The Rock. Much of his story boils down to winning the title his father never did after returning from founding WWE's biggest competitor since WCW.

By comparison, fans don't need much of a lesson about Rollins' story. The leader of The Shield, who ultimately broke it up...he's in the GOAT conversation partially because of that story on its lonesome. It resurfacing now and bringing fans so good moments like these again would simply reinforce how committed to long-form storytelling this new WWE era is:

And that moment? Beyond the brilliance of entering with The Shield's theme, Rollins gets in Reigns' head so much so that he "wins" via disqualification. Their brief interactions since are the only times the Tribal Chief has looked truly uncomfortable in the presence of another Superstar.

There are a lot of moving parts here, but in this what if? scenario, Rollins losing a title on Night 1 of 'Mania, then being the one to cost Rhodes the night after would be a wild thing to see.

Again, a heel Rollins doing this and pretending to be a savior who will finally end Reigns' run for fans, all while leaning into The Shield saga, would be a fantastic swerve. It would come at the expense of Rhodes, but there's nothing to say he can't finish his "story" at a later date, too. That heel version of Rollins serving as the perfect foil for a babyface CM Punk and others in the interim would only help other guys he matches up against, too.

It's worth asking the following: When fans look back in a decade-plus on one of the best storylines of all time, is it more compelling that Rhodes finished his story or that Rollins and The Shield connection came back around and completed the circle?

In that light, the answer seems obvious. Rollins has his own story too and the groundwork is there for character justiciations and swerve potential for WWE to pull off something memorable.

Sure, WWE might just mimic the Avengers movies and have Rhodes assemble a cast of Rollins-type guys to take down Roman's empire.

But maybe, just maybe, we've been focusing on the wrong story all along.