Seth Rollins Has Been Hurt by Booking During Current WWE Title Run

Seth Rollins winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship might be the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

Common knowledge dictates that winning WWE's most important championship marks a career apex, but if the win and subsequent title defenses are marred in technicalities, the champion suffers.

This has been the case with Rollins. Through multiple title defenses, the first-time champion is solidifying his WrestleMania win as a fluke. To fans, the Rollins character is presented as somebody who has no business holding a world championship. Literally. As of this writing, he doesn't even have possession of his own title.

Rollins' underwhelming run is beginning to resemble that of Sheamus' in 2009-10. Sheamus is still recovering from that ill-fated reign.

Event	Opponent	Result	Notes
WWE Extreme Rules	Randy Orton	W	RKO was banned. Rollins hit the RKO on Orton and escaped the cage.
WWE Payback	Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose	W	Outside interference from The Authority led to Rollins win.
WWE Elimination Chamber	Dean Ambrose	L	Rollins lost via pinfall but the decision was reduced to a disqualification.

Rollins is doubly hindered by both the past and present. He's constantly flanked by The Authority, a stable that contains bigger stars and better performers than Rollins is now. As I mentioned on the PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, WWE refuses to stop reminding fans of his career peak when he was a member of The Shield.

Rollins can't get up from under anybody's shadow.

Kevin Owens, the current NXT champion fresh off the type of clean victory over Cena that Rollins is light-years away from, is a more credible world champion than Rollins.

Sure, slimy victories are part of Rollins' character. But as a world champion it is important that his elite in-ring ability has some emphasis. WWE needs to establish that he can win matches on his own, and when he doesn't win that way it was because he chose not to. Instead, he's the type of champion who needs underhanded deeds to win matches.

Kane is just as important to Rollins' world title defenses than the champion himself. Kane was ringside for all three of Rollins' world title defenses. He also interfered in all three. He was part of the stipulation for two of these defenses.

Rollins' upcoming ladder match against Dean Ambrose presents yet another opportunity for pesky outside interference. Rollins defiantly granting Ambrose his rematch at Money in the Bank, amidst speculation that he is being overprotected by The Authority, is a good direction for the character.

Moving forward, Rollins should continue to grow stubborn, refusing assistance from The Authority while insisting on defending his title on his own. Rollins may not be the worst WWE champion ever, per Reigns' claim, but he's certainly on pace to being one of them.

The only way he can turn this around is on his own.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.