Seth Rollins Stealing Victory in Fatal 4-Way at WWE Payback Is Ideal Booking

When Seth Rollins defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal 4-Way main event match at the 2015 edition of Payback on May 17, it will be imperative to the success of the pay-per-view and the company to book the champion in such a way that he steals the victory.

Rollins has looked incredibly weak over the last several weeks. Each of the other three combatants in the Payback match—Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose—has gotten the better of the champion, and the result has been a lack of credibility.

It’s one thing to book Rollins to look like the weasel heel champion, but it’s an entirely different story to book him losing cleanly on regular basis since winning the title at WrestleMania.

The key to Payback should be giving Orton, Reigns and Ambrose the main event rub, but more importantly, giving Rollins the chance to shine as a legitimate champion. Building Rollins’ credibility should be the focus of the entire company.

What makes a heel so enjoyable is that they do not have to win cleanly in order to look strong while still garnering heat.

Instead of allowing Rollins to pin Ambrose cleanly, the possibility of sliding in at the last moment and picking up the pieces makes him look smart and despicable.

Before Rollins successfully retains his championship at Payback, the Fatal 4-Way stipulation gives all four combatants the chance to put on an incredible show. With all four men willing and able to put on a Match of the Night performance, this bout will have every opportunity to steal the show and make Rollins look like the correct champion.

Leading into Payback, Rollins couldn’t look like less of a threat.

During the match, everyone will get their shine. There will be time for Orton, Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins to get in all of their spots, and the possibilities for new and unique moments in a four-way match should have all wrestling fans intrigued.

The likeliest outcome will feature each man hitting his finisher and getting a big sequence. One possibility is after Ambrose hits the Dirty Deeds on Rollins, Orton would hit Ambrose with the RKO, Reigns would hit Orton with the spear and a now-recovered Rollins can simply toss his former Shield brother out of the ring to steal the victory.

Not only would it allow Rollins to retain the world championship, but it would also make him look smart by letting the others do the work and validate the company’s decision to put the belt on him.

Rollins served as the de facto champion when Brock Lesnar was holding the title and not around every week, and he was booked incredibly during that period. The hope is that WWE sees the error of its ways and begins making him appear stronger moving forward.

The champion needs to steal the victory on Sunday to prove he is still the top heel in the company and worthy of holding the sport’s highest achievement.

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