Does Seth Rollins Need to Win vs. Dolph Ziggler at WWE SummerSlam?

Seth Rollins will wage war against Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam on August 19. The two men have been embroiled in a very intense feud on the red brand for the past few months and SummerSlam may just be the blow-off match.

But does The Kingslayer need the win on August 19? Rollins has been at the top of his game over the past year and many fans believe he is the best in WWE right now. It’s certainly difficult to argue that point, as Seth has really never looked better. So should he go over and take back the gold?

For some fans, there is no better validation of a Superstar’s talent than with the reward of a championship belt. Titles in WWE denote a certain level of importance of the men and women holding them, which is exactly the notion that the company wants to convey. It is very effective of course, as a title can often mean the difference between a featured star and a supporting cast member.

Sometimes though a championship reinforces a guy’s standing in the company. AJ Styles is a perfect example of this. Many believe that AJ is the best in the world today. His matches are must-see TV and he always brings everything he has to tell an amazingly compelling story between the ropes. 

But if Styles did not have the WWE Championship, would fans think any less of him? Would AJ be considered a great talent, but not so great that he can handle the main event grind that comes with being the top titleholder? Common sense says that a guy like AJ Styles doesn’t need a title belt or any other type of trophy to be considered the top pro wrestler working today. His work speaks for itself.

However the overall perception of AJ has undoubtedly been heightened due to his run with the WWE Championship. He was always a favorite of fans who followed his career before he came to WWE. But a lengthy run with WWE’s top title does nothing but bolster the idea that the company has a tremendous amount of faith in him. Of course there’s always the question of who would be WWE champion if AJ didn’t have it. After all, there’s only so many main event talents working on SmackDown Live.

As for Seth Rollins, the opposite is true. Monday Night Raw is rife with main event guys, all of whom could wear any championship at any time and have a successful run in the process. That makes things a bit tougher for Seth, but it also forces him to raise his game. That is especially true due to a certain Samoan Superstar.

Raw is Roman Reigns’ show. WWE is Roman Reigns’ company. It’s only logical to assume that any brand he lives on would be the top brand and he would be the top champ. The fact that he doesn’t have the WWE Universal Championship right now is a mystery to many, who felt that he should have beaten Brock Lesnar months ago at WrestleMania 34.

Even Roman’s critics were surely bewildered by WWE’s decision to keep the belt on Brock. The Beast Incarnate is never around. He never defends the title. At the very least, Roman is always there and if he did hold the belt, he could potentially drop it to anyone at any time. He’s not invincible and he’s not unbeatable. 

Reigns may indeed be the next Universal champion of course. He and Lesnar will do battle at SummerSlam for the title. But even if Reigns wins now, it would perhaps feel a bit anticlimactic. Would anyone really care that he finally pinned Lesnar? If Brock wins, would another loss lessen Roman’s standing in the company?

As The Big Dog has fought to dethrone the beast, Seth Rollins has been waiting just to the left of his former Shield teammate. As Rollins’ matches continued to impress and his stock continued to rise, Seth arguably became the true top guy of Monday Night Raw. Does that come with an asterisk because Rollins does not have a title? Or does that even matter?

Not only does Seth have to contend with the presence of WWE’s top star, he also has to deal with guys like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and Braun Strowman, all of whom are viable contenders for the main event mantle. Even Dean Ambrose, who will eventually return from injury, is among that group.

Of course the Intercontinental Championship is not the Universal Championship. But fans may or may not see that as a negative and WWE certainly doesn’t portray it as a negative. The company presents the IC title as the workhorse title and even refers to it that way as well. WWE reinforces the idea that whoever holds the title is a trusted, dependable, hardworking guy. The Intercontinental champion is someone who always delivers and always gets over. What better way to describe Seth Rollins?

The fact is that Seth Rollins is Seth Rollins with or without the Intercontinental Championship. But if he does not regain the title at SummerSlam, does that diminish his standing on Raw? This is WWE after all and in WWE, guys can often get overlooked if no championship plans are in place for them. Surely this is not the case for Seth. 

But some view Rollins as the kid brother to Roman Reigns. Seth is always just behind Reigns, always living in his immense shadow. Is that actually the case? While the Intercontinental Championship may not be a cure-all for Seth Rollins, it may just be the remedy he needs right now. It would anchor his position in WWE. It would also be a nice consolation prize next to the Universal Championship and that title is one that should definitely come to Rollins in time.