Examining Booking of Seth Rollins Since His Return to WWE Raw

WWE has taken a steady, measured approach to presenting Seth Rollins since his return from injury.

When the former world champ's knee collapsed last year, Rollins posted the mantra, "Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim" on Instagram. That's a process that WWE appears to be undertaking now that he is back, slowly transforming him from The Authority's made man to a newer version of himself.

Fans will have to be patient, though. Change is crawling along.

Many expected Rollins to return reformed, to embrace the audience and put his villainous ways behind him. Instead, when he attacked Roman Reigns at the end of Extreme Rules, he made it clear that his morals had not shifted. The Architect was still very much a heel.

WWE has since awarded him a chance to recapture the World Heavyweight Championship at Sunday's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, challenging his old ally Reigns for the title he had to vacate after tearing his ACL and MCL last November.

During the build to that bout, we have seen Rollins' relationship with The Authority shift as he has doubled down on his arrogance and displayed babyface-like gutsiness. Even if the progress isn't obvious, all of this promises to lead to new territory for him.

The Heel with a Heart

Choosing to keep Rollins a heel was a surprising move. Reigns was already garnering boos as fans continue to push back against his rise as WWE's top babyface. When The Architect targeted him, many assumed they would simple reverse roles.

That has yet to happen.

Instead, Rollins has reverted back to being a slimy, arrogant jerk. After receiving "Welcome back!" chants, he barked at the fans, "I don't need any of you. I never did."

An understated shift has seen him temper the cowardly part of his character. He hasn't enlisted the help of J&J Security or The Authority. He hasn't darted away from trouble like he did so much before his injury.

The strange part of his current run is WWE's misguided juxtaposition of his onscreen self and his real-life recovery. 

On its streaming network, WWE aired a documentary chronicling his return to the ring. It's an inspiring story of hard work and heart, something that doesn't mesh with the Rollins we see on Raw.

Flo Sports' Jeremy Botter commented on that odd dynamic:

The company used parts of WWE 24: Seth Rollins Redesign Rebuild Reclaim in a vignette on Raw that helped sum up Rollins and Reigns' history. Again, WWE was asking us to hate a guy whom it showed gutting out a rehab process to do what he loves.

This only makes sense if these images of Rollins' resilience were meant to plant the seeds of his becoming a babyface down the road. That's a move that would be wise, having Reigns start firing back at fans for booing him and Rollins slide into the part of fan favorite.

Not in the Ring Yet

Rollins has not jumped back into his workhorse role. Instead, WWE has focused more on character than physicality. 

Credit: WWE.com

As seen on his CageMatch.net profile, Rollins has wrestled in zero televised matches since his return.

That has kept him from gaining momentum via his top-notch ring work. It has held back on giving the audience the pleasure of seeing him tear it up between the ropes. WWE is clearly saving him for Money in the Bank.

That helps build anticipation for his return to action. 

While he is waiting to strap on his boots once more, WWE has shown Rollins refuse to step within striking distance of Reigns in a wasted segment. He later had an awkward interaction with Stephanie McMahon, who was once his boss as part of The Authority.

She told him, "Things have changed." Her coldness to him seemed to indicate that he was now on his own, no longer benefiting from having her and Triple H's regime behind him.

And the previously mentioned vignettes where Rollins looked back at his relationship with Reigns proved powerful, even if they were unclear from a babyface-or-heel standpoint. As Kyle Fowle of the A.V. Club wrote, the "segments did wonders for the feud, showing the shared history of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns better than any in-ring promo ever could."

Having these two engage in a series of tag team matches before Money in the Bank wouldn't have had the impact that those clips did, either. 

Building on the Past

Reigns, Rollins and Dean Ambrose were once brothers in arms, all cogs in a fluid, powerful machine. Then Rollins betrayed his comrades.

WWE flashed back to that fact by showing a clip of it on Monday's Raw and having The Architect brag about it in a segment featuring all three men. During "Ambrose's Asylum" that night, Rollins told his former friends, "The best time I ever had in a ring with you guys is when I took a chair and put it in your back."

These reminders of his sins seem to be WWE's way to keep suppressing the cheers for Rollins. They help establish him as the villain in this story, even if crowds want to see something different. 

But he won't remain in that spot.

WWE would be foolish to keep going against the grain. Crowds are already booing Reigns and cheering for Rollins. Why not embrace that?

The company just won't be doing so overnight. We are seeing glimpses of "good guy" Rollins, from his never-say-die attitude during his recovery process to the brief show of friendliness he displayed with Ambrose and Reigns on Monday night.

Bet on that being foreshadowing. A changed Rollins is on his way.