April 15 – DJ Minter breaks down Seth Rollins’s sacrificial legacy as a Legend of WrestleMania!

Anyone who’s listened to the Mindless Wrestling Podcast or followed me on “X” (FKA Twitter) knows that Seth Rollins is my favorite modern era wrestler. So when I was asked to write an article on someone, the answer was a no brainer.  

I will always appreciate WWE’s brand of pro wrestling that they label “Sports Entertainment”.  At the end of the day, that’s what this is, entertainment.  At my heart, I love work rate wrestlers with a deep bag of tricks to pull from. But I also understand what I’m watching.  I have always ridden that middle line of enjoying wrestlers who are the perfect mix of entertainer and believable athlete. Names like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, and Steve Austin are just a few on my list of natural entertainers who are also work horses when the bell rings that I list among my favorites.  Seth Rollins embodies that perfect mix of excellent work rate wrestler and that all-too-important entertainer.

He’s a hellacious worker who can shift his style depending on who he’s working with. He’s equally comfortable matching power with larger opponents, picking up the pace to match hold for hold with the technical wizards of the industry, and taking to the air when the need arises.  And from a character standpoint, he’s able to shift with the climate and company’s needs, reinventing himself to remain relevant in an ever-evolving industry. While personally, I think his strength is working as a heel, no one can deny his appeal as a top company babyface.  He’s a company man through and through who goes out and delivers what is required; sometimes, seemingly to his own detriment. This includes proudly watching his wife wrestle in the main event of WrestleMania.

Seth’s WrestleMania history has been complicated. With a win/loss record of 7-8, one can certainly argue that he’s had a pretty good run, including going 2-0 over Brock Lesnar.  That history has not been without “what ifs”. He missed WrestleMania 32 in 2015 due to a horribly timed knee injury right at the point of ascent.  We are only left to wonder what his trajectory would have been for 2016 had the injury not occurred.  That being said, Seth found a way.  Rebuild, Redesign, Reclaim.  We often say on the podcast, “Sometimes when you get injured, you fall out of your lane and it’s very hard to get back in it.”  In a crowded industry and in a crowded company, there is always someone looking to slide into your spot.  Seth came back, reclaimed his spot, and kept it. He always found a way to have one of the best matches on the card, even if he wasn’t the main event. There are plenty of Seth Rollins moments I could point to where he shined, even in defeat. For the purposes of this article, I will pick 2.  One is self serving – WrestleMania 31. And the other is selfless – WrestleMania 38. 

2015 was a tough year for WWE. Most of its biggest stars had either retired completely, or in the case of John Cena, were starting to slow things down a bit. Creatively, they were also in a bit of a slump. The Wyatts and the Shield were the big up and comers who hadn’t quite fully arrived. Among them was Roman Reigns, and it was very clear that Vince and the creative team were very high on him. The internet and live crowds ultimately had other feelings on that. Roman secured a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania with a very divisive win at the 2015 Royal Rumble. Coming off of the heels of a very controversial podcast (that is not the focus of this article), the years 2014-2016 were not kind to Roman Reigns.  Regardless, the match was set: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar. We’ll get back to this in a minute.

Earlier in the night, Seth had a match with Randy Orton, who was starting his own slow transition from consistent main event star to gate keeper who was giving his seal of approval (or not) on the next generation of up and comers. One could consider this match with Orton a job interview for Seth – one which he passed with flying colors. They had an excellent match with a finish that will be played on highlight reels for decades. Seth would lose the match to a spectacular RKO, but something felt different here. I remember thumbing through Twitter at the time and seeing a lot of “heavy breathing” about how the “new up-and-comer” needed the win more than the veteran Randy Orton. (Yes kids, they did that in 2015 too). And to that, I replied, “The night isn’t over.”  I won’t say WWE phoned in what was to come, but if you really pay attention to what you’re watching, they kind of did.

Seth was the MITB briefcase holder, and had been for nearly a year. If they were going to do “it”, it was tonight or bust.  So my stance was, “just wait”. Let’s fast forward to the main event. This was Roman’s coming out party.  As a total package, I was on the fence with him – until that night.  I saw the vision (pun intended). Roman had the look, but in my opinion, he was missing that next level that makes a top superstar. He didn’t initially appeal to my personal “balanced” preference in wrestlers. That changed in this match. Roman fully won me over as a fan on that night. He was tough and resilient. He gave, he got, and he turned into a story teller. If they had gone “clean” and Roman simply won the match, he would’ve had a new fan in me.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. What did happen has been the subject of discussions since. A decision beloved by Seth Rollins fans and despised by Roman fans who were in the trenches during the worst of times, Seth would cash in his MITB contract and eventually go on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in what was labeled as “The Heist Of The Century. Like Roman, Seth fully arrived that night. There has been much speculation as to how the decision came about. The popular theory is that WWE “listened to the fans” who made it very clear that Roman wasn’t their guy, and pivoted to go with the internet darling in Rollins.  The likely truth is that this was the plan all along.  Remember, the MITB briefcase at  WrestleMania equals Moments.  When was the last time 1 person had 2 highlight reel moments on the same WrestleMania?

On to WrestleMania 38, or as I like to call it, the third act of a losing trilogy. But this spotlights my earlier point about Seth putting the company first. Rollins was coming off of back to back losses at WrestleMania 36 (to Kevin Owens) and WrestleMania 37 (to Cesaro). Both matches were meant to cement the legitimacy of one wrestler (Owens), and an attempt to elevate another (Cesaro). One worked; the other did not. Either way, Seth was what the company needed in the moment and he rose to the occasion and in both outings, delivering memorable moments in defeat. This would become a recurring theme in his career. And necessity would call again in 2022 and once again, Seth would answer.

Speculation was rampant that Cody Rhodes’s relationship with AEW had soured, and he was leaving the company.  All of this coincided with WrestleMania season, so of course the rumors began to circulate. Would he, the man who had left years earlier and become very outspoken about his former employer to the point of starting his own wrestling company with the intent on being direct competition to WWE, actually come home? The build to WrestleMania 38 had a series of segments with Seth trying to figure out how to get on the card, culminating in him finally being told, “You’re In, but you don’t know who your opponent is.”  In the weeks prior to the event, speculation turned into rumor,  and eventually into expectation. Cody was done with AEW and was seemingly WWE bound and the timing was perfect for his return at Mania 38. It didn’t take long to connect the (polka) dots and in what can be considered the worst kept secret of the year, with Seth Rollins standing in the middle of the ring awaiting his “mystery opponent”, the opening words of Cody’s entrance hit. And once again Seth was in the midst of a WrestleMania moment.

That match not only gave fans something special that night; it fundamentally changed the industry. Seth would go on to lose in a Match Of The Year candidate. But that night, that moment and his role in it are etched in WrestleMania history. Seth’s importance here cannot be overstated. He was coming off of back to back losses at Mania, and was being asked to work with and put over a man who left the company 6 years prior and had been very outspoken about the company that Seth had pledged his alliance to. This was a man who was instrumental in starting AEW, a company whose very selling point was “WWE sucks, come watch us instead.”  Legitimately, Seth had enough reason and backstage clout to say, “Not gonna work for me, brother.” Yet once again, the company needed him and he rose to the challenge.  His efforts not only validated Cody’s return to WWE, but cemented him as the main event star that he always felt he should be.  

Seth has been a cornerstone of WWE’s roster and the WrestleMania card for over a decade. He’s been 31% of the WrestleMania’s if you’re a math nerd (If he competes at 42). In an industry where company loyalty can be fleeting, he has remained faithful and fans have been rewarded with many great matches and unforgettable moments. Whether he has 1 more or 10 more, I know Seth will go on and give everything until he can’t anymore, and I thank him for that.