Booking Seth Rollins After Win at WWE Money in the Bank

Seth Rollins retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Dean Ambrose at Money in the Bank.  He did it by himself, with no support from The Authority or anyone else, and that alone was certainly cause for celebration.

But the party is over for Rollins because Brock Lesnar is back.  Now the champ has more problems than he ever dreamed possible.

It's a moment fans knew was inevitable: the return of The Beast Incarnate to WWE programming. Paul Heyman's wrecking machine has been out of the picture since the night after WrestleMania, but now the devastator is back, and Rollins is his first target.  

The only question is: how fast can Rollins run?

From Rollins' perspective, Lesnar's return could not have come at a worse time.  The defending champion has practically cut ties with The Authority, now settling for Triple H's motivational speeches only.  He has alienated Kane, shown J&J Security the door and is now left to fend for himself.

Just when he needs help the most, Rollins now finds he has none.  His ego and overconfidence have taken control and have cost him the support he needed to overcome the next challenge.  Lesnar is in his face, and Rollins cannot even look him in the eye.

Rollins' evolution as WWE's top heel has reached a new phase.  Fans will now see him begin to deal with the ramifications of his actions as he attempts to stand on his own and prove he truly can get the job done without any help.  That evolution could see him become more serious over the coming weeks, with his character morphing from the egotistical, pampered champion to that of an outgunned and outmatched wayward soul.

That means Rollins would need to be featured as a man out of time, a man fighting to keep his place in the company.  Face-to-face confrontations with Lesnar are surely on the horizon, and Rollins will likely continue to backpedal to try to keep as much distance between himself and his challenger as possible.

So while an introspective and motivated Rollins may seem logical for his continued growth, it's the whiny and spoiled Rollins that fans may get instead.  

Credit: WWE.com

Fans will probably see him do everything he can to not only put distance in front of Lesnar, but to put many roadblocks there as well.  Rollins will ultimately want no part of this and could look for any loophole imaginable to avoid having to face Lesnar.

He will duck, dodge and hide whenever he can.  He may even try to mend fences with The Authority as a whole to regain support.  Rollins knows he's a marked man and that he can't go through this test alone.

Lesnar will surely be on TV from this point on and will not stop until Rollins is in a twisted heap. Battleground may be the destination for them, but it's the road there that will be the most entertaining. 

A contract signing is likely in the works for Monday Night Raw at some point, and that could be the first night Lesnar actually gets his hands on the champ.  But WWE does not want to give this match away for free, which means it could be hands off until Battleground.

Credit: WWE.com

Fans should expect interviews and near-misses for Rollins along the way, accompanied by several first-class promos from Heyman.  Lesnar is biding his time until he finally gets his title rematch, but he will certainly take any opportunity he can to rattle Rollins and keep him off his game.

The match itself could go either way because if Rollins does indeed get some backup, then he could retain the championship at Battleground.  While it's not impossible that Rollins could win, WWE has portrayed Lesnar as too much of an animal, an unstoppable force that cannot be caged.  He has all the momentum on his side and could walk out of Battleground with the title.

But if Rollins does go over, then his spot as WWE's top heel—and perhaps its top worker—is validated once again.  He will have a huge win under his belt and will immediately regain momentum.  Then the issue becomes whether or not Lesnar will get another shot and, if not, how quickly Sheamus will cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase.

Of course, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose are still in the equation, and both still want to be WWE World Heavyweight champion.  If Daniel Bryan were to return by the fall, then Rollins could find his dance card maxed out.

Being the champion is a tall job, but doing it with no allies and perhaps even no friends is likely more than Rollins bargained for.  He has a roster full of Superstars gunning for him, and the most dangerous of them all is nipping at his heels.

Rollins has the chance to prove he is the right man to carry the ball.  Getting past Lesnar is the first step to making that a reality.