This week’s Stars in Progress is basically just an excuse for me to go on a long rant about Seth Rollins joining Evolution, and how good the past week of WWE related wrestling has been. So pull up a seat, sit back and enjoy a rare COMPLETELY POSITIVE column.
Agree or disagree with WWE’s decision to turn Seth Rollins into a member of Evolution – “why couldn’t it have been Dean!?” – you have to admit, it was nice to get a big moment on RAW that no one saw coming. The question everyone asks now is “WHY?” Why would Rollins, of all people, turn on his friends? Why would he wait until after two grueling matches against their greatest opponents? AND WHY WAS IT SETH ROLLINS!?
The way I see it, officials look at the three members of the Shield and see loads of potential in each of them. As a trio they were able to maintain an incredibly high work rate for over two years, never wrestling a single bad match. More importantly, they got over and stayed over with the fans, as both villains and heroes.
Roman Reigns is going to be a major babyface when he breaks out on his own, in line to face big money opponents like Brock Lesnar and/or The Rock if the timing and creative is right. It wasn’t going to be Rollins who turned.
So what about Dean? I think most people, including myself, thought it would be Dean Ambrose – or Dean AND Seth – who turned on Reigns. But if you really think about it, Ambrose is by far the biggest rebel of the group. If officials have seen any of his indie works, they know the amount of personality and general creepiness he brings to the table. He’s not a pawn, in other words. Even with the Shield, he’s in the numbers game for himself. You saw that earlier this year when they first started teasing the break-up. Dean Ambrose under Hunter’s thumb is just not an image his character will be able to shake off any time soon.
So when you break it down, it had to be Seth Rollins. Not to say he’s a push-over, and not to see he can’t be successful as a major babyface himself, but at the moment he’s “the high flyer guy”. He’s the least developed as a character, but has the most potential in the ring, working with other great wrestlers. So if anything, officials were incredibly smart to pick Seth, because he can most benefit from the new role.
But what about the storyline reasoning? That is by far the easiest part. The Shield beat Evolution. They defeated three future Hall of Famers with over 30 world title reigns between them, and they did it TWICE on consecutive PPV events. As a unit, where were they going? As a team they’ve held titles and beaten every name in the WWE worth beating. The story is that Seth saw the writing on the wall. He knew he’d hit his peak with the Shield. After beating everyone there is to beat, the Shield itself became the only target worth taking down – he was just the only one smart enough to see it.
