Why Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins WWE SummerSlam Feud Has Been a Massive Disappointment So Far
Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have not squared off in a one-on-one match since they kicked off the 2022 Royal Rumble.
Considering the rich history that exists between the Superstars, there was plenty of reason for fans to be hyped about their upcoming SummerSlam showdown for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Perhaps that is why the build for their marquee matchup has been such a major disappointment.
Rollins versus Reigns is a showdown that has not been overexposed. Unlike some main events that are overexposed in repeated rematches, the bout has not been presented ad nauseam. It is still relatively fresh and carries a sense of intrigue that other high-profile contests do not.
Furthermore, there is genuine investment from the audience in the characters and story involved. They have watched Rollins and Reigns from the moment they arrived on the scene together as part of The Shield in 2012, through their breakup, into their individual rises to the top of the industry, until now.
They care about the narratives, the deep shared backstory, and the twists and turns the story has taken over the years.
It is for that reason above all that this chapter of their rivalry has been so underwhelming.
Unrecognizable Story
Entering WrestleMania 40, Rollins told Cody Rhodes he was the only Superstar uniquely qualified to be his shield against Reigns. That was because it had been established that The Visionary had a mental edge over his former teammate.
Whereas The Tribal Chief could combat anyone, thanks to his overwhelming confidence, there was something about Rollins, the betrayal he inflicted on Reigns, and the manner in which he used his rival's emotions against him that made him the kryptonite to his Superman.
It was such a key piece of their story. This element elevated it beyond other rivalries in WWE and provided much-needed narrative depth, but to see it cast aside on this road to SummerSlam in favor of a more straightforward program in which each man professes the vanilla, generic "need to beat" the other is a huge blow to the fans who cared so much about the feud in the first place.
Instead of the layered storyline that had been such a key component of the rivalry's success two years ago, fans have watched Rollins and Reigns try to exchange insults and work-shoot comments as The Head of the Table did with CM Punk in the lead-in to their WrestleMania 42 main event earlier this year. It does not work because that is not the dynamic between them.
An Unearned Main Event
Worse than the alterations to the story is the feeling that the match seems wholly unearned.
Here is a feud that has been years in the making, yet it was booked out of nowhere with no build. Rollins came to the ring, coerced Reigns to put the title on the line in the only hint of their prior dynamic, and the rest has been generic storytelling.
WWE Creative did not devise a long-term creative plan involving the generation-defining Superstars or their long-running rivalry. It did not steadily build to a match that fans want to pay hard-earned money to watch.
Instead, WWE rushed the match into production, and instead of benefiting from the genuine interest and excitement that should be surrounding it, the company is offering ticket discounts using Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who the audience in Minneapolis will be far more familiar with than any reason that Reigns and Rollins are fighting this go-round.
What could and should have been a transformative main event—writing the latest chapter between two future Hall of Famers and deepening one of WWE's richest stories—has instead been reduced to a one‑off attraction built around NBA stars such as Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton. It no longer reminds fans why they were engrossed in the program in the first place.
It is a microcosm for WWE in 2026, a company that was at its hottest just as Rollins limped to the ring and convinced Reigns to bash him in the back with a steel chair, thus setting up Cody Rhodes' iconic WrestleMania win, but is now a shell of its former self and a reminder of how rapidly the creative process has eroded in some areas.
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