Seth Rollins: A Lot Of Guys Were In A Holding Pattern With Roman Reigns’ Title Reign

Seth Rollins gives his thoughts on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. 

Ahead of WWE Night of Champions, Triple H introduced the WWE World Heavyweight Title, a title exclusive to WWE Raw. The introduction came in part due to Roman Reigns holding both the WWE Champion and WWE Universal Championship for over a year and having a limited schedule. 

Seth Rollins became the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion by defeating AJ Styles in the finals of the tournament at WWE Night of Champions. 

Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Rollins gave his thoughts on the title and people saying that it’s a secondary championship. 

“I’m under no illusion that this title is the same as Roman’s title. That title has been around and so much equity has been put into it over the past few years. It means a lot. You saw how evident it was, even at Money in the Bank when [Roman] got pinned for the first time in three and a half years. You can’t just come in and pretend that all of a sudden this title is that important. No one is going to buy that crap. The way that I always saw champions that I looked up to and that I aspire to be were the champions that took the title to every territory and every town and defended it, and then, over time, people believed that it was a big deal. I came in when Cena and CM Punk were the world champions. I grew up watching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Triple H. These were the people that did that for the world title they were wearing. I’m trying, as I might, to fill those shoes and make this World Heavyweight Championship as big as it possibly can be for myself and the rest of the roster,” he said. 

Rollins continued, “Here’s the thing, if Roman was doing what I’m doing, there wouldn’t really be a need for a secondary championship. There wouldn’t be a need for another World Heavyweight Title on Raw because we would have somebody who was doing those things. It would give direction to the characters on the show and the show itself. Because of the route he has chosen and what he wants to do with his schedule and his title reign is not what I’m doing, somebody has to fill that void. We did our best with the United States Championship for a little while, but it never really felt like a World Heavyweight Championship. There has got to be that person, there has to be that spot for everybody to get to and try to fight for. I’m very happy to be the carrot that is dangling there. I think it’s a good thing. If Roman was doing all this stuff and defending the title all over the place, we wouldn’t have these problems or these issues, and there wouldn’t be a need for the title. One more little piece is, if the roster wasn’t so freaking stacked and there wasn’t so many people worthy of being World Heavyweight Champion on our roster, there also wouldn’t be a need for it. If we were suffering and were a one star promotion, then fine, but we have stars across the board on both brands. Kevin (Owens), Sami (Zayn), AJ Styles, all of Judgment Day, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Edge, all of these people, and I’m leaving a ton off, who are capable of being World Heavyweight Champion, have been in the past or are ready in the future. We need a title they can vie for that is around and available.”

When it was noted that the title helps create more stories and layers, Seth commented, “It’s hard for characters to evolve and advance if you don’t have stories and a lot of our stories are based around levels. I’m creating one for Monday Nights, creating a top-tier level. That was the hand we were dealt after unifying the titles, that’s where we’re at, and we’re making the best of what we can, and so far, I’d say it’s made for good matches and good stories, and we’re just getting started.”

Finally, Seth was asked about people who said the title was a “consolation prize” compared to the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. 

“I believe it was a necessity. I wasn’t offended or annoyed,” he said. “If you watched and followed and saw how Roman has built up the title that he has, it only makes sense to view it as a consolation prize, but for me, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like a big deal, and it felt like a big deal because there are so many guys who are able to be in the shoes that I’m in right now. The fact that it’s me makes it feel like a big deal to me. I feel a lot of responsibility to represent them and the industry as well as I can and help everything move forward. It feels, sometimes, with Roman’s title reign, because there is only one challenger at a time and often only every few months, a lot of guys were in a holding pattern. I am a firm believer that having a title available is a necessity and I feel a lot of humility and responsibility in being the champion that will be there and available for our audience. I wasn’t offended by it, and I understood where people are coming from.” 

Rollins most recently defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor at WWE Money in the Bank. 

He has made three successful defenses on television since winning the title. 

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