From The "Mind" of The Stronghold...

Seth Rollins: Who Are You?

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It is not a question to be taken literally, of course. We ALL know who Seth Rollins is and the history he's created in his time with the WWE; first man to cash MITB in at WrestleMania and do it successfully, first man to cash in in during a world championship match, first man in WWE's history to hold the WWE World and US championships at the same time.

There is no doubt that, much like his on-screen mentor Triple H, Rollins has made a solid impact in his premier years with the WWE.

However, also like Triple H, Rollins suffered a debilitating injury at the seeming pinnacle of his early career, being forced to relinquish his treasured WWE World Championship before the face-off with his former Shield brethren in Roman Reigns. Undeterred, Rollins made a solemn vow, during his 2015 "Superstar of the Year" acceptance speech, that he would come back, stronger than ever, and reclaim that which he never lost...

Since then, Roman has risen to the cream of the crop, fighting Triple H, Vince McMahon and the Authority, and (not-so) shockingly the majority of WWE fans, every step of the way towards achieving the WWE World title. After finally besting Triple H at WM 32, and deterring a very determined first challenger in AJ Styles, Roman seemed content to "reign" supreme over his empire, until...

...until Rollins made his long-awaited return to the absolute elation of WWE fans, laying out the champion with a Pedigree (he really DOES need a new finisher) and reasserting himself immediately as the uncrowned WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Fans were white hot for Rollins' return, vociferous chants of "Thank you, Rollins!" echoed throughout the Prudential Center.

Everything seemed primed for the scenario of Rollins returning as the conquering anti-hero; a rockstar-like reception not unlike Triple H's 2002 return, railing against the champion in Roman that the fans loathe, and a right to the championship he never lost.

Roman would ruin the return, turn heel out of frustration and anger-fueled jealousy at Rollins being hailed with a hero's welcome, where as Reigns scratched and clawed against the Authority, only to be booed and jeered by the fans because he was the champion WWE and he wanted him to be, rather than a champion the fans wanted him to be. All that seemed set in place, until...

...Rollins would lash out at the WWE fans, calling them hypocrites for caring about him, sending him well wishes, fan letters, and Twitter messages full of encouragement for a speedy recovery; all of this coming off of the heels of last year, where they wished for him to get his comeuppance, to lose the championship he won at WM 31 because he wasn't a strong champion in their eyes, taking shortcuts and abusing the power of the Authority.

A venom-lace tirade with a lot of truth and scorn to it, it would've accomplished what WWE seems intent on doing: Reasserting Rollins as a vile nemesis for the fans' "beloved" champion Roman Reigns to vanquish to their delight. That WOULD be the case...if Reigns wasn't reviled by a majority of WWE's fandom who simply don't want Reigns in the role WWE's casting for him.

This situation casts further hypocrisy upon the WWE's and Vince's notion of "listening to the fans", as they clearly want Rollins in the role of Triple H, circa 2002, whereas WWE's going against the grain, assured that Rollins' tirade will be enough to put him so far on the dark side that fans will welcome Reigns beating him down, yet they have Rollins talking in outside-the-ring interviews like his time with Coach on ESPN, discussing how much he missed the crowd, which is not something a "reviled villain" should be doing, and Reigns not doing much of anything, other than giving Rollins a "smoldering" stare...OF VENGEANCE, DAMMIT! (Channeling my Vince their for a sec...)

So to paraphrase a famous (if fictional) man, I pose this question to Seth Rollins: "Who are YOU? And what do YOU want?"

KEEP YOUR MINDS OPEN, FOR MINE IS CLOSED...FOR NOW...

#GetKennected #TheMind #WeWantRollins