Passing the Torch and the Main Event

Wrestlemania 33 being in the record books for about a month, WWE is already planning for next year -- which might sound strange to anyone watching RAW from week to week.

Regardless, the rumor is we will be getting for the Mania 34 main event the epic clash of Roman-Brock 2, in all likelihood for the Universal Title.  Seeds were sown recently on RAW by Paul Heyman (a man who could sell a pen out of ink with a few turns of phrase), verbally juxtaposing the two men out of their mutual defeat of The Undertaker at a WM.  There is also thought that build will begin at Payback. [Hat tip to Don Tony D on that one. Note: Brock did not appear.]

All well and good but there are a few problems with this tentative plan.  The obvious is Roman isn't connecting the way they'd like.  It's academic at this point he is a heat magnet no matter what he does, and that is not helped by him bearing the brunt of Mania's fallout.

Love or hate his match with Taker, it's clear the thing wasn't what it could have been.  The performance, hindered by injuries the Dead Man was working through, ended in the same lackluster finish the year before when Reigns faced Triple H.  Then as now, Roman's anointing was undeniable and all victories merely a formality.  You combine that with being fed a living legend in his last match, and you get a guy in Reigns who can't get a word in edgewise against a sea of boos or garner much sympathy getting pushed off a loading dock by Braun Strowman, while defenselessly strapped to a stretcher.

The probability of that changing between now and next year is slim, and turning Roman in order to get heat on somebody else seems more and more like the way to go.

Brock Lesnar doesn't look much better, really.  He might be over based on his prowess for beating people up, and he is the biggest active name the company can pull out of its hat, but he is still only a part-timer.  Handed yet another title he'll no doubt hold onto into next year, Lesnar will make few appearances in the interim, and probably zero defenses.  And let's be frank: the guy doesn't care at all.  WWE is just a paycheck for him.

To top it off, he was jobbed out to Goldberg. Yeah, he got his win back. Yeah, Creative can make us forget it...but it still happened.

Between Roman and Brock, the bigger elephant in the room is we've already been here.  Reigns v. Lesnar at WM 31 was intriguing but contrived.  Roman looked shoehorned into the picture even with the company fully behind him.  The only thing that saved it, and made it memorable, was one man surprisingly injecting himself and stealing the title -- a man who showed up at Mania this year actually carrying the proverbial torch, blazing a trail to the ring.

That's right! Seth Freakin' Rollins.

Seth Rollins, Kingslayer, torchbearer.

Rollins walked out there with his game face on, poised to slay a king and put the company on his back.  Organically, he can and is in a position they could nurture in the year to come.  Moreover, plug Seth in against either his former Shield brother or the Beast and there is a compelling story of unfinished business.

First, with Brock and Rollins there is the unresolved issue of their inconclusive rematch from summer 2015.  Again, that is due to the involvement of the Undertaker, seeking to avenge his loss at Mania 30.  The match was thrown out, Rollins retained until he succumbed to an injury, and Lesnar moved on to settle things with Taker.  The two of them were kept apart and the whole affair hasn't been mentioned since.

Seth's knee played a role in that but a failure to keep the story going falls on creative negligence. The above events defined Rollins's title run and arose from Lesnar getting screwed and suspended.  Seth was the catalyst on both counts.  It only makes logical booking sense that Brock wouldn't forget and comes back for revenge.  The Grandest Stage of Them All is the ideal place for that to play out.  And Rollins, remember, is fresh off beating Triple H, an achievement that ought to put him into consideration for a shot at Brock's belt.

With all that in mind and the right build, those two could have one hell of a program and maybe even a showstopping match.  To rekindle the rivalry, all it would take is one promo or one encounter and you're off to the races.

Roman v. Seth is a matchup even more tantalizing.  Three years after the breakup of the Shield the question lingers: who among them is the real impact player?  The Architect or the Big Dog?  It writes itself.  They could easily get the Universal Championship off Brock at Summerslam or some point; maybe even handle two birds with one stone by putting it on Seth in a program against the champ. Win-win.

Then Reigns can turn and chase the strap into Mania.  Perhaps a Shield reunion, or a simple quasi-tag team, is called for where Roman stabs Rollins in the back like Seth did him.  Imagine the deep, heated exchanges they could have after that.  Potentially exciting television, in my mind.

Put them together again and turn the tables. Roman has waited three years

to pay his brother back.

In either case, I would make Seth Rollins the babyface.  As I stated earlier, the goal would be to get heat on somebody other than Roman and there is nobody more primed for that spot than Seth.  He works hard, he has star written all over him, and he has no problem getting the people behind him.

So, WWE, quit it with the square pegs and round holes.  Roman Reigns is floundering, there is no question.  Your real next it guy is right in front of you and has been the whole time.  Stop shuffling your feet and give the people what they want: Seth Freakin' Rollins.

The Boss's son-in-law already elevated him; ergo, if I were to speculate, the stars are officially aligning.