Caden Moran discusses how WWE can save the stale babyface run of Seth Rollins by making him the WWE’s anti-hero
Seth Rollins is arguably one of the best wrestlers in the world today. However, there is something about his current role in WWE that just isn’t clicking: his babyface run.
After spending months on the sideline due to a torn ACL, Seth Rollins made his long awaited return at the Extreme Rules event earlier this year. Much to the surprise of fans in the WWE Universe, he returned as a heel. After spending the next few months as a heel, the inevitable babyface turn of Seth Rollins was set in stone after his former mentor, Triple H, turned on him to cost him the WWE Universal Championship. Seth Rollins is now a full blown babyface and it isn’t going well at all.
I had high hopes for Seth Rollins as a babyface and so did many other fans. The fact that Rollins has been playing the stereotypical, fan pandering good guy is nothing to be happy about. It may work for guys like Sami Zayn, Tye Dillinger, and Daniel Bryan but when it comes to “The Man” himself, Seth Rollins just doesn’t fit that profile.
Rollins has always been a natural born heel and has been fantastic at being the guy people want to hate. Look back at his days with The Authority and how well he portrayed the weasel, arrogant, and egotistical champion. Rollins has just always been better fitted as the heel. That said, a return to his hellish ways shouldn’t happen just like that. At least not fully.
Seth Rollins is on the verge of entering the long awaited feud with the man that cost him the WWE Universal Championship, Triple H. After months since the shocking betrayal, there has yet to be an explanation as to why The Game turned on his former protege. However, the match between these two is inevitable and whether it be at the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania, it will happen and it is going to be awesome. I do believe this is the feud that will truly help Rollins succeed more as a babyface. To do that he should start to blend the lines of a heel and babyface to become WWE’s next “anti-hero”.
Stone Cold Steve Austin. CM Punk. Randy Orton. These are all guys that have succeeded in playing the anti-hero role in WWE. They have perfectly executed the art of blending the lines between the babyface and the heel to create a character that is against everybody and for nobody. Seth Rollins has all the potential of being that next great anti-hero. To save himself from a very dull babyface run and to avoid becoming the arrogant heel once again, he must pull the trigger on this character move.
Believe me, if Seth Rollins were to become the WWE’s anti-hero, he would be ten times more interesting than he already is and quite frankly, he hasn’t been that interesting as a babyface. The reason for Seth Rollins to play the anti-hero role all comes down to one thing: relevance.
Every single babyface is always the same. Pander to the fans and give in to the good guys while forming alliances. Seth Rollins has done all of that in his short time as a babyface and it needs to stop immediately. Rollins is about to be the next guy to rebel against authority and he can’t be pandering to the fans if he wants to succeed. Look at CM Punk. Punk rarely gave in to the fans and never formed alliances while rebelling against authority and it worked out well for the Best In The World.
There is a lot of CM Punk in Seth Rollins. If Rollins wants to be taken seriously in his inevitable feud with Triple H and just in general, he needs to drop the typical babyface shtick and become the anti-hero that the WWE needs.
