Seth Rollins’ 8 Most Memorable Feuds in WWE

WWE Champion Seth Rollins arrived on the scene in spectacular fashion at Survivor Series as part of The Shield and since then, he has never looked back.

The group’s unforgettable debut immediately established Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose as top talents in the industry, leading to them ascending the ranks in record time and achieving main event glory.

Rollins was the first of the three to break out as a singles competitor, and he won a world title within two-and-a-half years of joining the main roster.

The run he’s had since then has been nothing short of stellar and has cemented him as a pillar of WWE.

Along the way, The Visionary has made enemies out of many notable names, both as a babyface and a heel. Some storylines have been stronger than others, but every one of them has helped him reach an elite level of success.

In light of the world heavyweight champion celebrating 11 years as a member of the main roster, let’s look back at the eight most memorable feuds of his decorated career.

Dean Ambrose

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“Good friends, better enemies” is the perfect summary for Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, a storyline that lasted the latter’s entire WWE run.

Their roots in The Shield are well-documented, but their many feuds that followed were what really elevated them to the upper echelon of the card, starting with Rollins’ betrayal of Ambrose and Roman Reigns and the collapse of The Shield in June 2014.

Reigns quickly transitioned into a main event role while Rollins and Ambrose settled their differences on their own. Their ruthless rivalry dominated the second half of the year and saw them wage war in a lumberjack contest, a Street Fight and a Hell in a Cell match—all won by The Architect.

They renewed hostilities less than a year later in the summer of 2015, this time over the then-WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins again emerged victorious in a grueling ladder match to retain the title.

It wasn’t until Money in the Bank 2016 that Ambrose finally got one over on Rollins by cashing in his newly won Money in the Bank briefcase on him to capture the title. They went on to bury the hatchet as part of a Shield reunion in 2017 and win tag team gold twice before Ambrose turned on Rollins in October 2018 in a reversal of their previous roles.

The two were constantly crossing paths and for good reason: They brought the best out of each other and had exceptional chemistry. Their careers continue to run along parallel lines to this day.

Randy Orton

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After solidifying his superiority over Ambrose, Rollins shifted his focus to Randy Orton at the onset of 2015.

The Architect essentially stole his spot in The Authority and was heavily touted as the future of the franchise by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Of course, Orton took exception to this upon his return to television ahead of WrestleMania 31.

He managed to manipulate Rollins into thinking that he was back in the good graces of The Authority, only to betray him in glorious fashion shortly thereafter. That effectively set the stage for their match at The Show of Shows.

Even with nothing at stake, they delivered one of the event’s best midcard matches of the modern era. Everything they did was smooth and fun to follow, culminating in an all-time WrestleMania moment with Orton nailing a curb-stomp-turned-RKO in mid-air for the emphatic victory.

Rollins got the last laugh when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship later that night and avenged the loss to Orton inside a steel cage at Extreme Rules.

John Cena

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Rollins’ reign as WWE world heavyweight champion in 2015 featured several successful title defenses against Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Sting, Kane and others. But his best bouts during his time on top were with John Cena.

By that year’s installment of SummerSlam, both had been riding high with their respective titles. Rollins was dominating the main event scene with the world title, while Cena was restoring prestige to the United States Championship with his weekly open challenges.

The two had tangled several times before in the fall of 2014, but the renewal of their rivalry heading into SummerSlam 2015 was far more entertaining, with Rollins shattering Cena’s nose and boasting about it in the weeks that followed.

It was a rare champion versus champion clash where both belts were on the line. Unsurprisingly, they had an outstanding clash, marred only by interference from celebrity guest Jon Stewart that led to Rollins walking out as a double champ.

Cena reclaimed the star-spangled prize from Rollins a month later in an equally excellent bout at Night of Champions, but The Architect can forever claim to having beaten The Cenation Leader when it mattered most.

Triple H

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Upon trading in his Shield vest for a suit and a spot in The Authority in 2014, Rollins became Triple H’s No. 1 pupil. Throughout his journey from turncoat to Mr. Money in the Bank to world champion, The Game was by his side every step of the way.

That was until Rollins suffered a serious injury that sidelined him from action for six months and cut his title run short, at which point Triple H felt he had fulfilled his usefulness and severed ties with him.

On an August 2016 episode of Raw, The King of Kings laid out Rollins with a shocking Pedigree to cost him the Universal Championship and endorse newly crowned champ Kevin Owens instead.

It was many more months until The Game resurfaced, but Rollins’ invasion of a Triple H-helmed NXT TakeOver event in January 2017 forced his former mentor to come out of hiding and eventually accept his WrestleMania 33 challenge.

Their Unsanctioned Street Fight at The Show of Shows won’t be remembered as a classic by any means, but the buildup to the bout was incredibly well-crafted and kicked off Rollins’ hot babyface run on a high note.

Brock Lesnar

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Everything about Rollins’ Money in the Bank cash-in at WrestleMania 31 was brilliantly executed, including how he was able to escape with the top title without pinning the then-unstoppable Brock Lesnar.

An impromptu one-on-one rematch was set for the next night’s Raw, but due to never actually getting underway, their bad blood went unresolved. The same can said about the inconclusive finish to their championship clash later that summer at Battleground.

Fast-forward four years and Rollins, the 2019 men’s Royal Rumble winner, is on the verge of capturing his first Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35. The only obstacle standing in his way of reaching WWE’s mountaintop is none other than The Beast Incarnate.

They told a classic David vs. Goliath story in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view, and the massive wave of momentum Rollins was riding at the time made the match that much more exciting.

Within a matter of minutes at ‘Mania, The Architect bested The Beast to seize the strap, but their feud was far from over. Lesnar cashed in Money in the Bank later that year at Extreme Rules to regain the gold before dropping it back to Rollins in a terrific match at SummerSlam.

Rey Mysterio

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Rollins’ time as a babyface was forced to come to an end due to subpar booking and fan backlash in the final few months of 2019. He took the boos in stride and seamlessly transitioned into a heel role by January 2020.

Various gimmick changes, the rapid rise and fall of a faction and the dawn of the pandemic caused him to struggle to find his footing until discovering the perfect foil in Rey Mysterio, a beloved legend who he had yet to have an extended rivalry with.

The early stages of their storyline were filled with some of the worst content WWE has created in recent years, complete with Rollins pretending to gouge Mysterio’s eye out, but it did improve once Rey’s son, Dominik, was incorporated into the angle to make it more of a family affair.

Once they were allowed to let loose in the ring, Rollins and Rey had terrific matches and did what they could to make the most of the fan-less era. The entire angle was an admirable effort by all involved to do something different during an otherwise dismal time.

Edge

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On the final Raw of 2014, Rollins threatened to break Edge’s medically repaired neck if John Cena didn’t agree to bring back The Authority.

What fans didn’t know at the time was that segment unintentionally planted the seeds for a rivalry between the two that wouldn’t materialize for another seven years.

Due to the many similarities they shared, many considered Edge vs. Rollins a fantasy feud , but The Rated-R Superstar’s forced retirement prevented it from becoming a reality right away.

It was then at the top of everyone’s list of what they wanted to see when Edge made his triumphant return to the ring in the 2020 men’s Royal Rumble match.

Their feud came to fruition in the summer of 2021 when Rollins cost Edge his Universal Championship match with Roman Reigns. The series of segments and contests that followed were nothing short of spectacular and arguably the highlight of the veteran’s return run.

All of their encounters were superb, but their big blow-off inside Hell in a Cell at Crown Jewel in 2021 was next-level. Edge ultimately reigned supreme, but Rollins more than proved his worth in defeat.

This was an example of a non-title feud at its finest.

Cody Rhodes

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WWE clearly had no meaningful plans in mind for Rollins in the closing stretch of 2021 into 2022. He was drafted back to Raw that October and worked his way into the WWE Championship picture but fell short on every occasion.

It reached a point where he had no obvious opponent for WrestleMania 38, and rumors were swirling as to whether he’d be left off the card entirely. Thankfully, the returning Cody Rhodes emerged as a last-minute rival for Rollins, and the two men stole the show.

That alone would have been enough to satisfy fans, but they resumed their storyline coming out of the event and continue to do tremendous work together. From acknowledging their respect histories with Dusty Rhodes and even Rhodes’ All Elite Wrestling stint, it seemed nothing was off limits.

Rhodes did the impossible when he scored a second straight win over Rollins at WrestleMania Backlash. All signs pointed to The Visionary winning at Hell in a Cell, especially once it was revealed Rhodes had torn his right pectoral muscle beforehand, but The American Nightmare persevered through the pain and secured the clean three-count.

Rhodes’ iconic performance put the match in a league of its own and left the audience eagerly anticipating their next battle.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham “GSM” Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.

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