With legends like the Undertaker and Sting hanging up their boots, now is the time for WWE to focus on building future stars. In a roster full of promising young talents, many of them often get overlooked in favor of apparent “chosen” superstars. While these “chosen” superstars are indeed young talents, the WWE Universe usually doesn’t respond too well to them, simply because they are constantly featured in main event storylines and win main event matches, rarely leaving room for fellow superstars to shine.
If you look at the WWE landscape, it’s easy to see who these “chosen” superstars are. However, while fans believe one superstar in particular has taken up the mantle of Vince’s next “chosen” one behind the scenes, we were told another story on TV. One rose to the top backstage while the other rose to the top on WWE programming. And while the TV version may be kayfabe, is there any truth to it? Let’s take a look at both of these superstars and decide which one, if any, is destined to rule the WWE Kingdom.
Roman Reigns
Ever since his show-stopping performance at Survivor Series 2013, the WWE Universe has known that Roman Reigns was destined for big things. Throw in his dominant performance in the 2014 Royal Rumble and you have a solid main event level superstar there. Despite the fact that he was a member of the trio The Shield alongside Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, Reigns was making a name for himself as a solo competitor.
However, Reigns’ slow build began to accelerate at a pace that much of the company’s fans weren’t happy with. The superstar went from the up and coming future main-eventer to a dominant big dog, seemingly immune to anything — especially pinfalls. And that didn’t sit too well with the WWE Universe. Much like they had seen happen with John Cena — and to a much shorter-lived extent with the Miz — it seemed like the higher powers within WWE had handpicked Roman Reigns to be the next face of their company, despite the fact that fans were much more sold on Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose.
Since then, despite opposition from the entire WWE Universe — Reigns is a three-time WWE Champion, 2014 Royal Rumble winner, main evented WrestleMania three times in a row and even defeated the legendary Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.
He has constantly been billed as the underdog, having to overcome adversity — from the Authority to Braun Strowman’s attacks — yet he comes out on top of every scenario he’s ever in, proving that he is anything but an underdog.
While this might seem like a quick rise of superstardom, it has turned legions of fans against the talented star. But nonetheless, WWE shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to pushing Roman Reigns — and that is why Reigns is undoubtedly considered WWE’s chosen one.
Seth Rollins
While fans are convinced that Roman Reigns has been singled out by the higher powers within WWE and handed every single golden opportunity under the sun, this also happened to another WWE superstar — the only difference is that this happened all on TV right before our eyes. Seth Rollins was singled out as the future by the COO Triple H and after he betrayed the Shield, he was handed the Money In The Bank briefcase, constant main event slots and was allowed to crash the main event slot at WrestleMania 31 to win the WWE Championship and have one of the longest title reigns in recent memory.
Now, obviously Rollins was a heel and the fact that he was handed everything by the Authority played well into that. But it makes us wonder if Reigns has become the real life version of Seth Rollins’ Authority character. Rollins was booed because his fictional character was handed everything, and despite the fact that Reigns behaves like a fan-favorite, he is also booed for the same reason.
However, on the other hand, we have to wonder if all of it was truly fiction. Sure, Seth Rollins was singled out like Triple H, but despite the storyline, he too also ended up in constant main event storylines. And when he made his long-awaited face turn, he became the underdog that fans could cheer for, always fighting to come out on top.
With Rollins’ incredible in-ring skills and charisma on the microphone, it’s no wonder that he’s so popular with fans. And if things continue like they, it’s looking like we will also see Seth Rollins in the main event scene for many more years to come.
Room For Both At The Top
You can compare and contrast the two for as long as you like, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are both the future of WWE. Fans may boo Reigns for his apparent “chosen” status, but he will continue to entertain audiences worldwide for many more years to come. And while Rollins only appeared to be “chosen” by the Authority on television, his incredible young career proves that it was far from fictional and that he too has been sought out by the company to be their future leader.
So with all that in mind, yes there is indeed room at the top for the two “chosen” ones. But the question is: Is there room for both of them on the one show?
