The Architect began his wrestling journey as a highly-heralded Ring of Honor superstar. Known then as Tyler Black, the rising talent was already considered a premier in-ring performer before joining the WWE. When Vince McMahon came knocking, it didn’t take long for the two sides to strike a deal. He became a member of FCW — a developmental promotion for the WWE that eventually became today’s NXT. After being renamed Seth Rollins, he blossomed into a grand slam champion for the promotion.
Later, he would receive a call-up to the main roster, where he’d team with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose to form the Shield faction. As WWE fans will remember, the trio terrorized the roster upon arrival by starting rivalries against CM Punk, The Wyatt Family, Evolution, and many more.
But all good things come to an end. For the Shield, their demise came because Rollins turned on his brothers and became a heel for the Authority. That decision resulted in immediate gold. Rollins would win the Money in the Bank briefcase, cash in at WrestleMania 31, and eventually pin Reigns in the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Rollins spent time as the central figure of the Authority until he turned back to a babyface and began forming the persona he’s best known for today — Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. He became the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion in 2023 and spent the better part of the past year building up that belt as a working champion who rarely took a week off.
But that all came to a halt against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 40. Rollins dropped the belt due to lingering injuries, which could keep him out of action for a while.
What happens when Rollins is back at 100%? Who should he target as he begins the journey back to the top of the WWE mountain?
Logan Paul
A lengthy feud between Logan Paul and Seth Rollins over the United States Championship can benefit all parties involved. First, Paul would be working with one of the faces of the company as he aims to build on his US title reign while positioning himself to be a world champion sooner rather than later. As for Rollins, he could lend his experience and in-ring professionalism to Paul, bestowing wisdom upon the younger superstar just as he did in their previous encounter at WrestleMania 40.
Roman Reigns
The potential feud between Rollins and Roman Reigns hinges on how long each man is on the sideline. There’s a chance that both of them take time away from WWE programming while the former recovers from injuries and the latter takes a break after a lengthy title reign. Fret not; given the history of bad blood between Rollins and Reigns, there will still be plenty of animosity present if the two men go on hiatus.
Reigns has just as much incentive to fight Rollins after ‘The Architect’ inserted himself into the Sami Zayn vs the Bloodline storyline ahead of WrestleMania 40. Rollins even helped Zayn take the title off of Reigns by interrupting night two’s main event and distracting ‘The Tribal Chief’ in the process. As for Rollins, he’s been lobbying hard for the end of the Bloodline’s stranglehold on the WWE. He could view a one-on-one match against Reigns as a way to guarantee that faction’s best days are behind it.
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes has gotten the better of Rollins multiple times since he returned to the WWE in 2022, including at Wrestlemania 38. And ‘The Architect’ hasn’t forgotten about it. Although the two teamed up for WrestleMania 40, now that Rollins is without the World Heavyweight Championship, he could very well set his sights on Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Universal strap.
Damian Priest
Rollins may not have lost the title to Priest at WrestleMania 40, but Priest left with the belt around his waist all the same. After Drew McIntyre secured the pinfall against Rollins and became the World Heavyweight Champion, Priest cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and ended McIntyre’s reign mere minutes into it.
Regardless, Rollins was the inaugural holder of the belt after WWE re-introduced it early in 2023. And as such, he has a rematch clause for the title at a later date. If Priest is still the man donning the gold when Rollins returns from a possible break, it’s a safe bet that ‘The Architect’ will hone in on the Judgment Day leader.
Drew McIntyre
Speaking of which, McIntyre presents the most realistic next opponent for Rollins. The two had a passionate feud leading into WrestleMania 40, and although ‘The Scottish Psychopath’ got the win over Rollins, McIntyre has stated that he’s not finished with their rivalry.
Even if the World Heavyweight Championship isn’t involved, it makes sense for Rollins to target McIntyre, as the loss at ‘Mania likely doesn’t sit well with the former champion. McIntyre has been feuding with CM Punk since the straight-edge superstar returned from injury. A program between these two will likely happen while Rollins is away. But McIntyre can surely make time to finish a package with Rollins afterward.
