Seth Rollins is proud to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Upon the revival of the World Heavyweight Championship, many called it a “consolation prize” to Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Triple H said this new title would be defended anytime and anywhere, more consistently than Reigns’ championship.
The World Heavyweight Championship became a RAW title when Roman Reigns was drafted to SmackDown. Seth Rollins later defeated AJ Styles to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Night of Champions. Since then, Rollins has already defended the title on 12 different occasions across WWE television and live events. Despite his strong efforts to elevate the title, some pundits still downplay its value.
During a recent appearance on Out of Character with Ryan Satin, Rollins addressed the ongoing criticism surrounding his title.
“If Roman was doing what I’m doing, there wouldn’t be a need for a secondary championship. There wouldn’t be a need for another [title] because we would have somebody who was doing those things. It would give direction to the characters on the show, would give direction to the show itself. But 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,” Rollins said.
“We did our best with the United States Championship for a little while. But it never really felt like a [world title]. So, there’s 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’s dangling there. I think it’s a good thing. Again, if Roman was doing all this stuff and defending the title all over the place, we wouldn’t have these problems and these issues. There wouldn’t be a need for [another] title.”
“One more little piece is, if the roster wasn’t so freaking stacked, if 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 just have stars across the board on both brands. Kevin (Owens), Sami (Zayn), you got AJ Styles, you Finn Balor, all of the Judgment Day. You got Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Edge, all of these people. I’m probably leaving a ton of them off, who are capable of being World Heavyweight Champion, have been in the past or are ready to be in the future. So, we need a title they can vie for that is around and available.”
Break The Pattern
With Reigns’ part-time schedule, talent have limited opportunities to challenge him for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Rollins believes the World Heavyweight Championship now provides a wider avenue for WWE Superstars to grow.
“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’s where we’re at. I think we’re making the best of what we can, and so far, I’d say it’s awesome. [We’ve had] good matches and good stories. We are just getting started.”
Rollins isn’t offended about the new title being called a consolation prize. However, he does stand firm in his belief that his title is a necessity for the company to have. To Rollins, the World Heavyweight Championship serves a way to break the “holding pattern” of Reigns’ title reign. With the new title strapped around his waist now, Rollins is proud to be a fighting champion. He says it’s not only for the locker room of hungry WWE Superstars, but also for the WWE Universe.
“I feel a lot of responsibility to represent them and the industry as well. I can help everything move forward,” Rollins said.
RELATED: Cody Rhodes On Seth Rollins: Maybe We’ll End Up Growing To Be Friends At Some Point
