Seth Rollins is the best bet for WWE‘s new World Heavyweight Championship.
The tournament to crown the new champion began on the May 8 episode of WWE RAW, which featured two triple threat matches, followed by a semi-final bout between the triple threat winners. In the end, Rollins and Finn Balor won their bouts in the opening round, and “The Visionary” beat the Judgment Day star to punch his ticket to the tournament finals at WWE Night of Champions.
Now, Rollins will wait for the SmackDown winner to emerge victorious. The blue brand’s winner will be determined on the May 12 episode of WWE SmackDown. As with RAW, the show will feature two triple threat matches, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and AJ Styles will clash in one, while Sheamus, Bobby Lashley, and WWE United States Champion Austin Theory will battle it out in the other. With Rollins’ spot in the tournament finals already confirmed, fans are buzzing about which SmackDown star would deliver the best matchup at WWE Night of Champions.
For the most part, the options are appealing. The three-way bout between Mysterio, Edge, and Styles promises to be a thriller, as the talent level in that match makes it a must-see contest. The two Hall of Famers will clash with Styles, who will likely get inducted whenever he decides to call it a day on a phenomenal career. All three potential outcomes here would be exciting in different ways.
First, Edge and Rollins could reignite their memorable feud from 2021, which featured a renowned Hell in a Cell match and spanned several months. Plus, many fans are rooting for Edge to have one last run, as his eventual retirement looms large and it would be fitting to see him win the title he was forced to relinquish due to injuries in 2011.
Likewise, Rollins could reignite his rivalry with Mysterio as the WWE Hall of Famer would seek his first world title since 2011. (He briefly held it and lost it during the dame night in 2011). Plus, there’s plenty of history between the two stars; who could ever forget the Eye for an Eye match at WWE Extreme Rules 2021? Either of these options would be fitting, but at least from an in-ring standpoint, a Styles victory would be the best outcome.
Styles recently returned to the ring after he missed a chunk of time with a leg injury. Upon his return, The O.C. has already started to reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with on SmackDown. Styles potentially winning the title would force WWE to make some changes, as the championship is exclusive to RAW. However, the prospect of seeing two of the best wrestlers on the roster face off for the title promises to deliver an excellent match that would quickly establish the World Heavyweight Championship as a legitimate main-event title.
Rollins alone is the ideal candidate to win the World Heavyweight Championship because he’s the anti-Roman Reigns, in many ways. Whereas Reigns has been criticized for being a part-time champion, Rollins is on WWE TV, week in and week out. He consistently delivers Match of the Night contenders, and his popularity is undeniable. Rollins is also a franchise player, as he has been with WWE since 2010, and he is a four-time world champion, so he would instantly bring credibility to the new title.
While Rollins himself has noted that, at times, he has felt like WWE doesn’t present him as “the guy”, having him win the new title and have a strong title reign, full of excellent matches and (hopefully) exciting feuds, would go a long way towards cementing his status as a genuine top-level star.
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