The WWE has had a lack of credible rivalries for a while, and those that have promise tend to either go sideways or go on way too long as place keepers until another storyline is ready. In this case, Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins are set for a classic rivalry after Seth Rollins’ run-in last night.
While this should be an awesome rivalry given how Rollins has come into his own as the promotion’s top heel, it has as much potential to blow up in the WWE’s face.
It could go bad
There are a couple of ways this could go, and we’re going to focus on the extremes of the storyline. First up is what could go wrong. This is the easiest to speculate on mainly because the WWE has made a habit of getting in their own way lately, and this could be another of those moments where they turn gold into manure.
While Seth Rollins is a great heel, few want to see him as champion in the near future. This isn’t meant as a “It’ll put McIntyre over” champion, but as a “It’ll destroy the progress McIntyre’s made” champion.
The WWE recently destroyed Bray Wyatt’s Fiend character to keep the heat off a possible Reigns win that didn’t happen. While Wyatt was able to redeem the Fiend at WrestleMania 36, it won’t be nearly as easy to do the same with McIntyre. The main reason is the Fiend is a nightmarish character that can be reborn through a nightmare like what John Cena experienced. McIntyre isn’t that type of character.
Rollins should be as big a pain in the backside as he can be, and even win a few encounters through DQ or other means that keep the title on McIntyre. This will build him as a credible threat and keep us enticed before McIntyre finally dispatches him. It’ll also give the WWE time to build another help up for another rivalry.
It’s important to note that many expect Rollins will win the Money in the Bank match and eventually take the title from McIntyre because Rollins is a McMahon favorite. This would work in a few months to keep their rivalry fresh, but if it’s done before Survivor Series or Royal Rumble, it’s not going to go over well. It probably won’t if Rollins wins it at any point. It simply what it is.
It could be epic
With what could go wrong over with, we can focus now on how awesome this rivalry can be.
Seth Rollins was born to play a heel, but especially the Monday Night Messiah. Having his feud go so long with Kevin Owens (after numerous victories, I might add) didn’t do him any favors. But having lost at WrestleMania 36 finally lets us move on to bigger and better things.
His introduction to feuding with McIntyre was done perfectly, though it’d be nice if the music wouldn’t start whenever someone runs out. Give us some sense of it being unplanned, WWE. You used to do that to great effect.
Rollins can lift McIntyre to new heights as a face and champion, and that’s his greatest asset. It’s easy to hate Rollins’ as a heel, and that only serves to lift McIntyre higher. McIntyre will also make Rollins look better, and lift him as a heel. Between them, there’s so much potential for a classic feud over the next few months it’s practically worth salivating over (kinda shows how boring the WWE has been lately).
We’ll see a few DQ wins for McIntyre, and a couple for Rollins, with any luck. If done right, this feud can conclude at Summer Slam or Survivor Series. The latter may be the best option given this looks more like a war of attrition type of feud than a few big hits and it’s over.
What’s more, this will give them both a chance to put on some high-quality matches. So far, McIntyre has had good matches against Big Show and Andrade, so as long as they work to tell a story rather than being trapped in a video game, we’ll be in for an awesome show.
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