Will Seth Rollins Be First WWE Star Not to Cash in Money in the Bank Contract?

Seth Rollins now looks certain to face "The Viper," Randy Orton, at WWE WrestleMania 31. This follows on from the recent events on Raw where the so-called "future of the WWE" was unceremoniously RKO'd through a table after taking an unceremonious beating from Orton.

Rollins, the most recent holder of the Money in the Bank contract, will have to fend off the challenge of Orton if he is to stand any chance of challenging Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns to the WWE title following WrestleMania.

The WrestleMania main event between Lesnar and Reigns will see a story that began with "The Beast Incarnate" defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 come to its conclusion when Reigns wins the title. Reigns, as you all remember, was once a key member of the Shield alongside Rollins and Dean Ambrose.

The seeds are already in place for numerous storylines and plots with Reigns as the WWE champion.

Reigns, while still raw and in obvious need of improvement in terms of mic and mat skills, is the man Vince McMahon has chosen to lead his company into the new era.

Lesnar's contract issues, as per the hugely respected Dave Meltzer, writing for MMAFighting.com, has added further guarantees the former UFC champion will lose the strap on March 29.

Whether Lesnar leaves WWE after WrestleMania is still up for debate. Teddy Cutler, writing for the Independent, reports the 37-year-old's contract runs out following the most important WWE date of the year.

When one considers that Rollins currently holds the Money in the Bank contract, which guarantees him a title shot, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that two of the three former Shield members are destined for a main event run.

That, however, remains to be seen after Randy Orton's utter dismantlement of Rollins on the third-last Raw before "The Grandaddy of Them All" on March 29.

Orton has a massive gripe with Rollins after the Authority member Curb Stomped "The Apex Predator" on Raw in November. 

The fact that Rollins and Orton are now destined to clash at WrestleMania opens the door for the very real eventuality that Rollins may never, ever, to paraphrase Chris Jericho, use the MITB contract.

There are two reasons why Rollins may never get to use his MITB contract. The first concerns the central point of my last article where I posed the question of the Shield reuniting under Paul Heyman at WrestleMania.

The second comes from the very real possibility that Randy Orton may ensure Rollins never gets a chance to use that much-coveted contract.

Since the MITB contract was first introduced just 10 years ago, 15 men have won the right to challenge for a world title, any time and in any place.

Hall of Famer Edge was the first man to win the MITB in 2005 at WrestleMania 21 when he defeated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Kane and Christian in a classic ladder match. The Rated R Superstar held the MITB contract for 280 days before he eventually cashed it in successfully against John Cena the following January at New Years Revolution.

Ironically, Edge actually lost his scheduled match at the pay-per-view to Ric Flair before he took advantage of a bloodied and battered Cena, who had just come through a torturous Elimination Chamber match against Carlito, Chris Masters, Shawn Michaels, Kane and Kurt Angle. This would be the first of Edge's 11 world heavyweight titles.

Of the 14 men who have won the MITB contract, not including Rollins, only two men have failed to win a world title upon using their challenge, John Cena in 2012 and, most recently, Damien Mizdow (Sandow) in 2013.

No one has ever failed to use the contract to claim a title fight before it becomes annulled. That very real situation will arise on June 14 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, when the MITB PPV for 2015 takes place.

A wrestler not cashing in the MITB contract has never been played out as a storyline in the WWE Universe. Three men have held the MITB contract for over 250 days: the aforementioned Rated R Superstar, Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins.

WWE is on the cusp of announcing Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins for WrestleMania 31. The Viper would like nothing better than denying his current nemesis a chance to use the bounty he won on June 29 last year.

A story where Orton usurps and denies Rollins at every opportunity would make for more than compelling viewing. Think back to Dean Ambrose attacking Rollins on Raw before he could use his contract on a prone John Cena last year. It would also create a race-against-time type of plot where Rollins would have to use the contract before it becomes just another piece of paper.

For those of you who are interested, Kane is the only wrestler ever to cash the contract in on the same night he won it, and CM Punk is the only man to use the MITB contract successfully twice.

Whichever way WWE choose to go with Rollins and his storyline, they are guaranteed success. The former-ROH champion is a class act. He is destined to play some part in main event status over the coming years. 

The other variation on this "not cashing in" storyline could see the Shield reunite under Paul Heyman and then hold sway over the WWE by holding the World Heavyweight title, the IC title and the MITB contract. By owning all the main titles and the main avenue to claim a title shot, the Shield would effectively strangle the WWE and be the most dominant force since the Four Horsemen in their prime.

Both storylines would see Rollins fail to claim his title shot.

Whichever way WWE decides to plot the Rollins MITB contract, it will be fascinating to see, and it all really begins with WrestleMania 31 on March 29.