WWE's Growing Seth Rollins Problem

For WWE, 2025 is clearly going to be more of the same in one blossoming, problematic area—Seth Rollins.

Rollins started the huge year—the new era—of WWE during the historic move to Netflix by sacrificing what should have been a WrestleMania main event match against CM Punk to the streaming platform on what was an underwhelming, weird episode of Raw.

There's no way it gets any better for Rollins from there, either.

Rollins has been a punching bag for a long time now. Maybe some of it is by his own design via a creative and character direction behind the scenes; we can never fully know for sure.

But what fans can see? He's constantly shoved aside for others, especially with whatever happens in Roman Reigns' orbit.

This isn't a new phenomenon. His career arc spiraled badly around the time of that now-infamous feud against the overpowered Bray Wyatt "Fiend" persona, forcing him into a dramatic character overhaul that never really resonated.

Last year, while Rollins was involved around the big programs during WrestleMania season, he was never the focal point. He took part in a tag match amongst the likes of Reigns, The Rock, and Cody Rhodes, but he was a victim of the shoddy booking and late decisions based around a part-timer's availability and power plays before serving as nothing more than a setpiece in someone else's title match (don't forget the 10-minute opening singles match on on Night 2).

Fittingly, Rollins just had an interview with Chris Van Vliet and touched on playing a small role in Rhodes' big win last year.

"I had a different experience watching Cody win the title," Rollins said (h/t Cultaholic). "I felt joy, probably a little bit of jealousy. But I don't know, I've never really been the guy that's been handed the ball that way. For the last 10 years, it's been Roman for the most part, and then Cody comes back and he kind of gets that treatment as well."

It was one of those interviews where the wrestler is clearly in "work" mode for at least some of it, but his points were accurate (like creative feeding the roster "garbage" around the time Punk left the company years ago).

This problem isn't magically going to get better now, either. PW Insider (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats) reported that, indeed, Punk vs. Rollins was a planned 'Mania main event before getting bumped up to the Netflix premiere.

There is zero indication that WWE will actually stretch out what could have been one of the best modern feuds in some time into a trio of matches that ends in a 'Mania match, either. Not with the programming clearly seeding a Reigns vs. Punk match, or Reigns vs. Rock match. With the Bloodline story seemingly ended, John Cena is here now to likely get a match with Rhodes.

That leaves Rollins with...little interesting to do. And this is the issue. Right now, Rollins isn't even apparently considered for a lengthy feud like the one Drew McIntyre rightfully just had against Punk. He's shoved aside consistently, even for guys like Kevin Owens.

Last year it was Rhodes, this year it will be Punk and especially Cena as the retirement tour fires up. Even when that tour concludes, it's only a matter of time before Bronn Breakker and Carmelo Hayes ascend to Gunther level and command top spots, too.

Is there a way for Rollins to salvage this and force his way higher?

At this point, perhaps the only way is through character work and changes. Less cackling with wacky outfits and nothing else and more of the serious Rollins showcased in the excellent promos against Punk.

Think, more corporate-aligned heel similar to his Architect days when he broke up the Shield, perhaps? Maybe embracing the villain in a way that lives up to Punk's characterization of him and just wreaking chaos on the roster?

It sort of stinks that this is just another go heel, dude suggestion, but it feels apt for Rollins. He's got real grievances about how things have gone over a number of years now, is the perfect blurred-lines-reality Superstar, and there is an abundance of good guys near the top of the roster who need heels to battle.

If WWE wants Reigns as this mostly-babyface character at the same time Cena headlines for a year, well, a heel Rollins airing dirty laundry and getting dirty like he did years ago would be a nice piece of the overarching puzzle.

While unfortunate it has come to this, it wasn't exactly hard to see coming based on how things have gone for a number of years, either. Now, WWE has outright ripped an earned 'Mania main event from Rollins, which borders on outrageous.

Interestingly, how Rollins reacts and adapts on a number of levels will decide if he remains the third wheel, Robin to Batman. Fitting, then, that one of his past personas is a scheming Architect, at least.