Seth Rollins' WWE Title Reign Threatened by His Own Actions

The landscape in WWE typically takes after its champion.

In the mid 70's it was all about Bruno Sammartino and the working class hero. The late 70's were about vain counterculture and Superstar Billy Graham. Rock & Roll and Red, White & Blue were the order of the day while Hulkamania ran wild in the 80's. The WWF was never oilier than when the traitorous turncoat Sgt. Slaughter captured the belt in 1991 (take one look at Rick Martel). Bret Hart's reign brought the smaller wrestler to prominence in the heavyweight division. Stone Cold Steve Austin's audacious actions spread to the point where even Vince McMahon was slamming beers and Stunning fools. Let's not forget the reign of Edge, where WWE wasn't that funny and was generally overrated. Brock Lesnar's recent reign brought brutality to the fore, certainly, but also a certain sense of order.

And now we have Seth Rollins. A superior athlete whose reign was nonetheless forged in the crucible of duplicity and underhanded tactics. In other words, Seth Rollins is an agent of chaos.

Chaos creates upheaval, which results in opportunities for those who might not normally receive them. This was great for Rollins when he was the scrappy, relative unknown, seeking his shot at glory. The problem now is that his methods worked too well and now other newcomers such as Neville and Sami Zayn are following the same blueprint to prominence.

The same thing happened with the nWo. The group began as an offshoot of the established WCW brand, which had grown stale in the years since its formation in the late 80's. The nWo splintered off, delighted fans, enraged ethics watchdogs, and darn near took over the entire sport of professional wrestling. Yet at the height of its power, another renegade faction, The Wolfpack, splintered off of the nWo, itself. This led to the inevitable decline and eventual end to the nWo revolution. The very formation of the group sowed the seeds of its own destruction.

Now Dean Ambrose is a contender for the WWE Championship, John Cena is handing out US title opportunities like candy, and NXT rookies are making major waves on RAW and Smackdown.

All of these events are dovetailing off of Seth Rollins' rise to the top of WWE. The question is now: Can The Architect draw up a way to stay on top? Or will his own methods lead to his demise?

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OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS FORMULA

ANY WIN = 2 POINTS

US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT

WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS

NON "BIG 4" PPV BONUS = 1.5X

SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS

WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS

The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 31 and culminates with WrestleMania 32. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!

Monday Night Raw-- 5/4/15

John Cena - 3 points (US title bout, win)

Sami Zayn - 1 point (US title bout, no win)

Stardust - 2 points (win)

Dean Ambrose - 2 points (win)

Rusev - 2 points (win)

Main Event -- 5/5/15

Stardust - 2 points (win)

Adam Rose - 2 points (win)

Jack Swagger - 2 points (win)

Smackdown -- 5/7/15

Dolph Ziggler - 2 points (win)

Luke Harper - 2 points (win)

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WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 6 *TOP TEN*

1. John Cena -- 19.5 points

2. Seth Rollins -- 15.5

3. Randy Orton -- 14.5

T4. Neville -- 13

T4. Stardust -- 13

6. Ryback -- 12

7. Bad News Barrett -- 9

T8. Dean Ambrose -- 8

T8. Dolph Ziggler -- 8

T8. Fandango -- 8

T8. Sheamus -- 8

Thanks for reading, Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!