The announcement by Seth Rollins that he will be at Wrestlemania 33 isn’t as much of a surprise as to how the angle will be worked.
WWE put the feud between the former WWE world champion and his mentor, Triple H, on the back burner for too long, and by doing so it has taken a major hit now that Rollins is injured.
[DavidL]
But as we saw on Monday night, the show must go on. The announcement by Rollins and his promise to bring down the King of Kings gives wrestling fans new hope that this angle will live up to the hype. All it takes is a little imagination and a heck of a lot of creativity.
Since Rollins re-injured his knee and has not been cleared to wrestle yet, it is unlikely he will be in “action.” That doesn’t mean he won’t be a major part of an angle in Orlando. There are many ways to book the confrontation, which more than likely will include Samoa Joe. If you read between the lines and look at the cheat sheets, you know something is up.
Here are a few scenarios that might play out.
The return of the Demon King – I see a program where there is a confrontation between Rollins and Triple H that is exacerbated by Joe in the ring. The two on one just advantage is quickly even with the return of Finn Balor.
Because the company has moved on from putting the Universal Heavyweight Title on the former NXT champion’s shoulder, what will the company due to promote his return? There’s been plenty of talk of him feuding with Triple H, but the angle doesn’t work, and there isn’t enough time to build it. Coming to the aid of Rollins, who was his enemy at one point, creates a great storyline. Then it sets up for a feud between Balor and Triple H.
Samoa Joe’s kryptonite – We could see the rebirth of a feud between two former NXT champions. While fans usually don’t like to see revisionist history, this angle works for both Joe and Balor. For those who do not watch NXT, it’s the first time they get to see such a feud. It also serves as an important step towards Balor’s return and rebuilds.
I can’t see the company putting the main title around his waist immediately, but a feud like this creates enough drama and enough excitement for fans that it doesn’t matter.
Hello, Nakamura – The best bet to see the Japanese superstar at WrestleMania may be in a match with AJ Styles. But think about this for a minute. How great would it be for Mr. Strong Style to confront his rival once more? There is still great value in this feud.
Nakamura’s move to the main roster has been stunted a bit by the fact that he is still learning how to perform in front of a live audience. That should be a non-factor now as he has grown accustomed to WWE’s game plan. Few have taken the Samoan submission machine to the limit like Nakamura.
If the company wants to build on what was a red-hot feud, it needs to cash it in on the main roster.
Swiss super success – I am not sure whether the injury to Cesaro is real, or it’s a work. Either way, the idea of the Swiss superstar meeting Joe has me salivating a bit.
While I like the tag team combination with Sheamus, I so want the company to finally put a singles title back around Cesaro’s waist. In the meantime, the idea of booking him in matches against a stronger opponent is a far better idea then booking somebody like Sami Zayn against Joe, which does little to excite wrestling fans.
Cesaro is as close to a throwback in this company that you will see. A little bit of Dory Funk Jr., a lot of Billy Robinson, and a dash of Bob Orton Jr. for good measure. It is possible that is the reason why Vince McMahon is not as jazzed about him as others in the company, or as excited about him as the fans are. For everything this company has become, having an old-school wrestler on the roster is a good thing. I can see him coming to Rollin’s aide as the feud between the two continues.