Seth Rollins Reacts To Being Top Wrestler Of 2022 By Sports Illustrated
Seth Rollins has reacted to being named the top wrestler of 2022 in a list produced by Sports Illustrated.
It has been a great 2022 for Seth “Freakin” Rollins as the former two-time WWE Grand Slam Champion has received yet another accolade during his WWE career.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso named Seth Rollins as the top wrestler for 2022 and he wrote this about him.
For 12 months, Rollins has consistently wrestled the most compelling, convincing, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling. In addition to that sublime set of matches, his promos and evolved character work brought him to a whole new level of greatness.
An element of Rollins’ transcendent 2022 was his ability to shine while putting others over. He did everything within his bodily power to ensure that Cody Rhodes’ return at WrestleMania was viewed as a legitimately jaw-dropping, iconic moment, which it was–then followed that up with an even better match with Rhodes at WrestleMania Backlash.
When Rhodes was severely limited in their Hell in a Cell bout inside the cage, Rollins made viewers forget about limitations and instead focus on all Rhodes was capable of in spite of the gruesome injury.
Throughout their program, Rollins made you believe that Matt Riddle was a main event talent. Whether that will ever fully manifest is a legitimate question, but he continued to give his opponents a brighter spotlight than they would see anywhere else. Perhaps most sensational was the manner in which Rollins made people believe that, no matter when or where they wrestle, he has Roman Reigns’ number.
Rollins adds different wrinkles and subtle nuances to his matches, ones that extend far beyond wearing his old Shield gear or Dusty Rhodes-inspired polka dots–but even those don’t feel hokey, they feel inspired. A true master of the craft, Rollins is a throwback who could thrive in any era, and he is a joy to watch on a weekly basis.
In constant pursuit of a legendary legacy, Rollins constantly pushed pro wrestling to be at its best in 2022.
On his Instagram story, Rollins reacted to the article and wrote this:
“Thanks for the love. An honor to be part of this list.”
It was ten years ago at Survivor Series 2012 when Seth Rollins joined the WWE main roster as part of The Shield. Since then, he’s won every title a man can win in WWE while becoming the biggest star on the WWE Raw brand. While Rollins is not holding the US Title anymore, he is often featured in key segments on Raw every week.
In 2022, Rollins had a memorable rivalry with Cody Rhodes that saw them have three great matches at WrestleMania, WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell. That Hell in a Cell match is regarded by many as WWE’s Match of the Year, including WWE announcer Corey Graves.
The top ten list from Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso looked like this:
- Seth Rollins
- Jon Moxley
- Bianca Belair
- Roman Reigns
- Will Ospreay
- Jamie Hayter
- El Hijo del Vikingo
- Dax Harwood
- Cash Wheeler
- Masha Slamovich
The honorable mentions included: Kazuchika Okada; Chris Jericho; Saya Kamitani; Gunther; Mandy Rose; Josh Alexander; Mike Bailey; Jimmy Uso; Jey Uso; Penta El Zero Miedo.
As you can see above, they went with just three WWE superstars with Rollins, Belair and Reigns making the list. There are also four AEW wrestlers on the list with Moxley, Hayter, Harwood and Wheeler making it.