Paul Heyman said on Raw that he had begged Lesner for mercy toward Rollins because he feels the WWE needs a hero.
But here’s the thing, it’s not Rollins.
No matter how hard he sells it, no matter how hard he’s pushed (reaching the ill-fated Reigns push at this point), and no matter how great the speeches he’s given are, Rollins is not a good babyface.
The fans reacted to Lenser coming out, not so much to Rollins. When Rollins gave his impassioned speech about how he wasn’t going to give up, instead of cheering him on and drowning out the announcers, the fans were mostly quiet. They checked out.
Should Lesner Remain Champion?
Lesner is the bigger draw as we’ll pay to boo and complain about him. He’s an awesome heel.
But we aren’t so quick to hand over cash to see a babyface Rollins. Unlike other superstars that came across compassionate like Savage, Hogan, and Cena, Rollins comes across as weak and needy.
It’s not his fault, it’s just not the role he was meant to play.
Now, as a heel or anti-hero in the Stone Cold role, he’d flourish and we’d probably blow the roof off of the venues. It was like that after he beat Lesner at WrestleMania, but we’ve cooled on him as the weeks progressed and he became tame.
In the current arc, he’s set up as the resilient hero that’ll never give up. It’s a great gimmick that, again, Stone Cold made work. The thing is he doesn’t come across like Stone Cold, and it’s not from lack of effort.
Will Rollins rebound?
Honestly, this could be Rollins’ best chance to establish himself as the real Beast Slayer and take back the belt by going super heel. But the odds of that happening are slim, and if he doesn’t turn, then Lesner should remain the champion and Rollins should move on to the US championship.
One way him being a babyface could work is if he reforms the Shield to degree. If he and Reigns became a team again, they’d wreak havoc in the tag team division and give the OC a rivalry on the level that hasn’t been seen for a long time. Throw in Samoa Joe if he and Reigns work together against the mysterious attacker and Ricochet, and they’d make a solid, bordering on awesome new Four Horsemen.
