Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Seth Rollins Poised to Pass John Cena as WWE's Best

1. Seth Rollins in the Midst of a Banner Year

We will look back at 2015 as the year that Rollins took over as WWE's top performer. It's a crown John Cena has worn for half a decade, one that Rollins now has his fingers on, ready to snatch it for himself.

The WWE champ churns out classics with every marquee match. He has mastered his slimy, delusional character. Consistent and compelling, Rollins is more and more often the highlight of any given night.

And suddenly Cena's position at the top of the ladder is tenuous thanks to him.

Cena has been excellent as of late, most recently delivering another work of art against Kevin Owens. Later at that pay-per-view, though, Rollins made an emphatic statement about where he stands in the WWE hierarchy.

Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose added to the champ's growing collection of standout performances. He thrived as the sadistic predator and the heartless strategist who found a way to keep Ambrose from taking his title. A blend of stellar acting, athleticism and presence not only sparks a debate about what bout is the year's most impressive, but which wrestler deserves that title.

Rollins is making a strong case for himself, especially when it comes to in-ring work.

The WWE title ladder match at Money in the Bank marks just the most recent success he's had this year. It's a safe bet that this effort will net him another four-star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Rollins has already raked in some top-notch scores on his resume in 2015.

Event	Match	Star Rating (Out of 5)
Royal Rumble 2015	Seth Rollins vs. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar	4.75
WrestleMania 31	Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton	4
WrestleMania 31	Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins	4.5
Payback 2015	Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Randy Orton	3.75
Elimination Chamber 2015	Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose	4

Like Cena, Rollins is a reliable workhorse who is sure to maximize his TV bouts. And when it comes time to battle in the main event, both men are clutch. Both men elevate themselves in the biggest moments of the biggest events.

Rollins being the talk of the show at both Royal Rumble and WrestleMania is proof of that.

As WWE champion, Rollins has had ample chances to stand on center stage and prove he belongs. Each time out, he makes WWE look smart for putting him in that position.

And it's what he has been up to outside the ring that has him closing in on Cena.

At his best, Cena is a home run hitter on the mic. He draws in the crowd and burns with genuine passion like no one else. The issue with him, though, has always been consistency. 

He sometimes relies too much on juvenile humor, leading to promos that are best kept unaired. His act doesn't evolve enough either. A Cena speech about never giving up too often sounds like the previous editions.

Rollins, meanwhile, is evolving, showing off versatility and heading on an upward trajectory as a talker.

He flourished opposite Jon Stewart earlier this year. After WrestleMania, he ducked Brock Lesnar, showing himself to be a tremendous cowardly heel in the process.

Leading up to Money in the Bank, he fired off his best promo to date, a tour de force on SmackDown where he barked about not needing The Authority's help anymore.

Should we see more of this kind of speech, should he continue to be such a steady supplier of great matches, it will be time to put Rollins ahead of Cena. The rest of Rollins' reign, and specifically his showdown with Lesnar at Battleground, is his opportunity to close the gap. 

2. King of the Midcard

While King Barrett can't seem to climb out of the WWE doghouse, R-Truth seems to have a much better standing with company officials. He has been tasting victory more than his midcard peers.

Being intercontinental champion and the current King of the Ring has done nothing for Barrett. R-Truth, on the other hand, is gaining momentum, being treated as more of a threat than one would expect.

The rapping wrestler owns a .692 winning percentage this year. That's better than several fellow midcarders:

• Neville (.638)
• Zack Ryder (.632)
• Dolph Ziggler (.612)
• Damien Sandow (.485)
• Stardust (.277)
• King Barrett (.263)
• Luke Harper (.228)
• Curtis Axel (.143)
• Adam Rose (.079)

Character-wise, R-Truth is the Santino Marella of today. The comedy relief role, though, hasn't stopped him from amassing more pay-per-view wins this year than Dolph Ziggler.

At this rate, Barrett may want to consider becoming a rapper and feigning a fear of spiders. It's been a winning formula for his rival.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Dusty Rhodes

With The American Dream's passing last week, fans and wrestlers alike have been reflecting on Rhodes' Hall of Fame career. His most famous promos are getting plenty of play.

One lesser-known rant, though, deserves some attention as well. During a feud with Tully Blanchard, Rhodes went off about his rival, throwing in a story about pigs.

It's a testament to how vital charisma is. If you have as much of it as Rhodes did, it doesn't even matter what you're talking about. A promo about a sausage-maker was gold in his hands.

4. Humble Beginnings

On Friday, Global Force Wrestling put on its first show, a live event in a baseball stadium in Jackson, Tennessee.

The upstart promotion is years away from making a real mark on the industry, but it's exciting to have another group try to push everyone else. The distance GFW has left to go was clear.

There were some technical bumps in the road, first of all. F4WOnline notes, "The audio system temporarily crashed as the Best Friends made their way onto the field, so they killed time by pantomiming the throwing of a first pitch by Trent Baretta to Chuck Taylor."

Attendance wasn't spectacular either. A report from PWInsider estimates the crowd to be about 400 to 500 fans. PWTorch describes the scene as having "fans scattered behind home plate and along the baselines."

Thea Trinidad, Sonjay Dutt and Chris Masters were among the notable names to compete. The Bullet Club's Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. The New Heavenly Bodies headlined.

Here's hoping that this is a show fans eventually remember as the genesis of a powerful promotion. Here's hoping that the crowds grow for these events, that GFW's momentum only picks up from here.

5. The IWC Down on Sheamus

Had Roman Reigns won the Money in the Bank Ladder match, a good portion of the Internet Wrestling Community would have pounded their keyboards in frustration. WWE went another direction, surprising fans with a Sheamus win.

The result led to a disgruntled response anyway. Many fans viewed The Celtic Warrior being Mr. Money in the Bank as uninteresting and unappealing:

"

Lmao Sheamus is the least interesting person they could've chosen to win money in the bank. Anybody else would've been better.

— Ivan (@iMg_25) June 16, 2015"

WrestlingInc.com gave the move to crown Sheamus a thumbs-down as well:

The negativity is misplaced. Sheamus was among the better choices to take home the Money in the Bank briefcase.

It's too soon for Neville to ascend to a world-title level. Kofi Kingston would have been misplaced in that role. Randy Orton was world champion up until WrestleMania 30, his eighth WWE title reign lasting half a year.

Sheamus as the Money in the Bank winner opens up some intriguing narrative options, including him joining The Authority. If as talented a performer as Sheamus inspired that much ire, it's hard to imagine the firestorm a 48-year-old Kane winning would have caused.

6. The Showoff to the Rescue

A moment from a house show in Canada from a few years back showed off the power of heel and babyface roles in pro wrestling. 

Alberto Del Rio left a young girl in tears by tearing up her sign. Dolph Ziggler swooped in and comforted her, offering her his T-shirt.

There's no other art form that creates that kind of interaction. Captain America can't reach out into the audience and console a fan like that.

7. Heels are Money in the Bank

Before the next Money in the Bank Ladder match approaches, every wrestler looking to win that contract and change the trajectory of their career forever should sit down with Vince McMahon and ask to turn heel. It's been the bad guys who take home that prize more often than not.

Of the last 11 Money in the Bank winners, only three of them (Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and John Cena) were babyfaces. The last four winners have been heels. Faces, meanwhile, haven't had consecutive winners ever.

With as much of a scavenger move as it is to cash in, it's not surprising that it's been such a heel-dominated enterprise.

8. Powerful Tag Team Title Changes

The Prime Time Players are now tag team champs thanks to a victory at Money in the Bank. Their reign may end up being plenty entertaining, but the win itself was anything but.

A lack of buildup hampered that triumphant moment. To see how powerful a tag title victory can be, be sure to seek out the following championship bouts:

• The Soul Patrol defeats The Wild Samoans: Championship Wrestling, Nov. 15, 1983
• The Hart Foundation defeats Demolition: SummerSlam 1990
• Edge and Christian defeat The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz: WrestleMania 2000
• Booker T and Goldust defeat Christian and Chris Jericho: Armageddon 2002
• Cody Rhodes and Goldust defeat The Shield: Raw, Oct. 14, 2013

Both of the matches featuring Goldust capitalized on good stories. The matches fed off the intrigue of the challengers' partnership.

The Hart Foundation and Edge and Christian's wins both followed excellent matches. That certainly adds to the momentous nature of the title change.

Making history the way Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson did back in 1983 did just that as well. They became the first African-American tag team to capture the gold, thanks in part to Capt. Lou Albano's errant chair shot.

9. The Search for an Ally

Jason Jordan is on the lookout for a new tag team partner after ditching Tye Dillinger months ago.

It's a story that will aid him in getting more airtime, and has the potential to be a surprise hit of a narrative. Dysfunction, odd couples and surprises await.

So far, Jordan has tagged with Marcus Louis, Chad Gable and Solomon Crowe. WWE should continue down this path and have him seek a variety of partners with varying success. It's an easy story to tell and one that creates intrigue in the tag team division.

Credit: WWE.com

This is what the company should be doing on a temporary basis with Jimmy Uso while his brother heals up. Maybe Jimmy can see if he clicks with Jordan.

10. Inspiration from Dusty Rhodes 

During his storied career, Rhodes said delivered many a powerful statement. In one of his promos, he gave a line that applies to more than just wrestling; it's a life lesson.

As seen in WWE's recent tribute to the late star, Rhodes told fans, "Get a dream, hold onto it and shoot for the sky." Well said, Dream. 

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.