Pros and Cons of Seth Rollins Returning to WWE as a Heel

Seth Rollins' return to WWE at the conclusion of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view was greeted with a thunderous ovation from fans in Newark, New Jersey, who were all too eager to welcome him back, so it was interesting to see the company portray him as a heel just 24 hours later on the May 23 episode of Raw.

Its world champion hated and rejected by audiences for a myriad of reasons, WWE had the opportunity to reintroduce The Architect as a fan favorite but opted not to. While it may seem like a bad idea on the surface, and may still prove to be, the decision may not be quite as bad as it seems.

On closer examination, there are both pros and cons to Rollins returning to WWE as a villain.

Pros

Credit: WWE.com

The WWE roster has a plethora of top babyfaces, including John Cena, Dean Ambrose and, yes, Roman Reigns. No matter how loudly fans boo him or how adamant they are in their refusal to accept him as their hero, Reigns is a babyface according to the booking strategies of WWE Creative.

With three marquee heroes, not to mention others including Cesaro and Sami Zayn, it has become readily apparent that WWE does not have the interesting or intriguing heels necessary to stand across the ring from those guys in high-profile main events.

The recent turn of AJ Styles has changed that, but as strong as The Club may look coming out of its beatdown of John Cena on the May 30 episode of Raw, there is still plenty of time for WWE's crack writing staff to mess up what appears to be a very good thing.

Rollins is a tried and true villain. Throughout 2015, he carried the promotion on his back, the lead villain in Vince McMahon's morality play. He was the character entire shows were built around. The company trusts him in that position and believes he can be the guy to oppose Reigns, Cena and Ambrose, as well as part-time competitors such as Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and The Rock, and deliver the absolute best performance on any given show.

He was so strong in his role prior to the unfortunate injury that sidelined him that the idea of him returning as a babyface after all of the cheap, underhanded and vile acts that he committed over the last year or two was unfathomable.

Unfortunately, management within wrestling's greatest empire has greatly underestimated its audience and their desire to rain praise on the immensely talented performer.

Cons

Credit: WWE.com

The most obvious negative resulting from the return of Rollins as a heel is the reactions he generates versus those of world heavyweight champion Reigns. From the moment he rushed the ring and planted his former Shield teammate with a Pedigree, it was obvious that Rollins as anything but a triumphant babyface was going to be a tough sell.

In every instance in which they have shared the screen since, Rollins' popularity has been undeniable. He has been on the receiving end of thunderous ovations. No matter how much he tries to antagonize the audience, he is still greeted with a hero's welcome when he steps through the curtain.

Reigns, by comparison, is booed out of the building.

It is not difficult to see why. While Reigns has been shoved down the throats of the audience, Rollins' rise was more organic, even taking into account a grand heel turn in June 2014. He is perceived as having worked for everything he's earned while Reigns, right or wrong, is considered a generational wrestler whose push can be attributed to his bloodline.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, too, something else fueling the recent reactions for Rollins. Like Triple H back in 2001, Rollins was at the top of his game when injury halted is momentum. The months he spent away from the ring had fans anxiously anticipating his return. Now that he is back, and fresh, those same fans are rejoicing.

"

....I guess there's only one thing left to do... #WWE24 #MITB #RedesignRebuildReclaim

— Seth Rollins (@WWERollins) May 31, 2016"

The recent WWE 24 special documenting Rollins' career, his injury and his return did little to temper the pops he will receive in arenas across the country. That production documented an extremely devoted and passionate professional wrestler whose injury was devastating but whose determination to come back was unyielding.

It shined a spotlight on the man behind the character and, in the process, made him more relatable and sympathetic in the eyes of the audience. The result will be even louder expressions of support.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE will dictate what role Rollins fills, contrarian reactions be damned. For better or worse, he seems destined to be an elite heel, the type of heel Triple H was throughout the first half of the 2000s, when entire broadcasts were built around him. With quality babyfaces to program against him, he will thrive.

Even if fans are inclined, and justifiably so, to throw their full support behind the former heavyweight champion of the world.