Seth Rollins' WWE Return Eases the Pressure on Roman Reigns

Seth Rollins is finally back in WWE. The Shield architect returned at Extreme Rules on Sunday, and by the next night, he was booked in a match against Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank. The former WWE world heavyweight champion now has a chance to win his title back, and his supporters could not be happier about it.

But the happiest guy in this scenario should be Roman Reigns himself. He has been under an extreme amount of pressure over the past several months, and Rollins' return has surely helped him breathe again.

Reigns' need to exhale has finally been met, and it's happened courtesy of his greatest rival.

Rollins is the traitor, the turncoat who single-handedly ended The Shield. He took the hottest act in WWE and tore it apart from the inside out. Rollins wanted power, he wanted glory, and he got all of that in exchange for selling out his brothers.

If there's anyone on the roster Reigns should truly hate, it's Rollins. 

The fans should also hate The Architect, and they have. Before a knee injury put him out of commission, Rollins was the top heel in the company. There was arguably no one better at getting heat, as no other antagonist could quite connect the way he did.

The level of respect for him was surely there, but his smarmy attitude overrode it. Rollins was cocky beyond comprehension, and it oozed through every promo he cut. He was perfect in his role, and fans loved to hate him for it.

But when Rollins went down, Reigns stepped up.

The company elevated Reigns to the top tier, and he eventually replaced his former Shield teammate as WWE world heavyweight champion. The biggest problem with Reigns' run, however? 

He has no top heel to work against.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon filled that role together after Rollins left. But neither one is a full-time performer, which meant that Reigns was left to cut promos against one top heel he couldn't ever physically touch. The other heel would not be available in a real match until WrestleMania 32.

But to further add problems to the pile, The Game was still capable of getting a positive crowd reaction over Reigns.

No matter how hard he fought or how much the WWE wanted fans to believe otherwise, Reigns just could not fully get over. Had Triple H been a full-time talent and hated beyond belief, perhaps things would be different for Reigns now.

However, that's just not the case. But instead of following Triple H with an unquestionable top heel who could help Reigns' situation, WWE chose the babyface AJ Styles. 

Triple H put Reigns over on the grandest stage of them all and then disappeared back to WWE's corporate office. AJ Styles put Reigns over twice in back-to-back events, and now he's moved back down the ladder again. In both instances, Reigns received the momentary boost but then nothing.

Of course, facing Seth Rollins won't instantly get Reigns over like a major babyface, but this matchup is the right move.

Fans have wanted this since Rollins first destroyed The Shield. The idea of an all-Shield main event at WrestleMania is alive once again, and that match could potentially see its foundation built now. Reigns and Rollins have the opportunity to go out and wow the crowd, and they will surely take advantage of it.

The best part about this is Rollins. He is the difference, and he will likely do more for Reigns' title run than anyone he has faced so far.

The likelihood that Rollins will win the championship at Money in the Bank is anyone's guess. But if he does win, then Reigns could win it back at a later point. The two men could trade the belt back and forth over the summer, and that would be good for both of them.

However, the main focus here is Reigns, whose situation has now improved.

Reigns may always have problems fully connecting with the fans who are supposed to love him, but Rollins' presence can only help here. Now Reigns can take a step back and let his opponent do all the talking. He can cut one villainous promo after another while Reigns silently sits back waiting for the right time to answer.

When that time comes, Reigns' response will be short yet meaningful indeed.

Tom Clark can regularly be found on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.