Seth Rollins Says New World Title Not Needed “If Roman Was Doing What I’m Doing”
Seth Rollins became the new World Heavyweight Champion at Night of Champions when the title was resurrected in WWE by Triple H and Rollins says he thinks having only one world title left a lot of stars in a “holding pattern.”
Triple H unveiled the World Heavyweight Championship as the newest world title in WWE and made mention of the fact that the title was necessary due to Roman Reigns’ less than full-time wrestling schedule.
With Roman Reigns’ dominance in recent years and the admission that a new title was necessary because no one could beat the champion and defend the championship more regularly, some viewed it as a secondary title, but not current champion Seth Rollins.
Speaking on the Out of Character podcast, Seth Rollins gave his thoughts on the new title and while he doesn’t think it’s secondary, he admits nobody is going to buy it being on the same level as Roman Reigns’ WWE Universal Championship straight away given all Reigns has achieved with that:
“I’m under no illusion that this title is the same as Roman’s title. That title has been around and so much equity has been put into it over the past few years. It means a lot. You saw how evident it was, even at Money in the Bank when [Roman] got pinned for the first time in three and a half years. You can’t just come in and pretend that all of a sudden this title is that important. No one is going to buy that crap.
“The way that I always saw champions that I looked up to and that I aspire to be were the champions that took the title to every territory and every town and defended it, and then, over time, people believed that it was a big deal.
“I came in when Cena and CM Punk were the world champions. I grew up watching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Triple H. These were the people that did that for the world title they were wearing. I’m trying, as I might, to fill those shoes and make this World Heavyweight Championship as big as it possibly can be for myself and the rest of the roster.”
Seth Rollins continued, noting that if Roman Reigns was working his schedule then there wouldn’t be the need to create a new world title:
“Here’s the thing, if Roman was doing what I’m doing, there wouldn’t really be a need for a secondary championship. There wouldn’t be a need for another World Heavyweight Title on Raw because we would have somebody who was doing those things. It would give direction to the characters on the show and the show itself. 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.
“We did our best with the United States Championship for a little while, but it never really felt like a World Heavyweight Championship. There has 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 is dangling there. I think it’s a good thing. If Roman was doing all this stuff and defending the title all over the place, we wouldn’t have these problems or these issues, and there wouldn’t be a need for the title.
“One more little piece is, if the roster wasn’t so freaking stacked and 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 we have stars across the board on both brands.
“Kevin (Owens), Sami (Zayn), AJ Styles, all of Judgment Day, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Edge, all of these people, and I’m leaving a ton off, who are capable of being World Heavyweight Champion, have been in the past or are ready in the future. We need a title they can vie for that is around and available.”
It was put to Rollins that his title helps to create more stories as a result of its existence, he says it’s been hard for characters to revolve without having a very top level on Raw after the WWE and Universal Title were unified:
“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 was the hand we were dealt after unifying the titles, that’s where we’re at, and we’re making the best of what we can, and so far, I’d say it’s made for good matches and good stories, and we’re just getting started.”
As far as any notion that the World Heavyweight Championship is a consolation prize, Seth Rollins explained that it never felt that way to him:
“I believe it was a necessity. I wasn’t offended or annoyed. If you watched and followed and saw how Roman has built up the title that he has, it only makes sense to view it as a consolation prize, but for me, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like a big deal, and it felt like a big deal because there are so many guys who are able to be in the shoes that I’m in right now.
“The fact that it’s me makes it feel like a big deal to me. I feel a lot of responsibility to represent them and the industry as well as I can and help everything move forward. It feels, sometimes, with Roman’s title reign, because there is only one challenger at a time and often only every few months, a lot of guys were in a holding pattern.
“I am a firm believer that having a title available is a necessity and I feel a lot of humility and responsibility in being the champion that will be there and available for our audience. I wasn’t offended by it, and I understood where people are coming from.”