As he told Al Arabiya in a recent interview:
“With Roman not being on the roster for an indefinite period of time, there’s definitely extra pressure that I put on myself to step into that role. Obviously his shoes are his shoes and nobody is going to fill them, but I put pressure on myself, whether he’s around or not, to go out there and steal the show and have the best match on the card, and push everybody else to that level. The thing that sucks about not having Roman, besides not having his camaraderie, is that he is one of the guys that pushes me to be better, because he goes out and gives it his all every single time. Not having him around, I’m feeling that pressure to step it up even more to bring everybody with me so we can try our best to fill the void that the big dog leaves behind.”
In the full interview he also talks about how hard it’s been not to check in on his friend “like every two hours.” Rollins, the current WWE Intercontinental champion, is embroiled in a feud with Dean Ambrose while also being thrust into headlining house shows. He’s cooled off somewhat from the heights of his past year, which has been one of the best of his career, but he’s got the talent to turn it back on with the right program.
I’ll leave it to you to argue if the Ambrose feud will end up being that.
Either way, a quick look at the WWE roster makes clear Rollins will undoubtedly be counted on to help carry shows, at least from a match quality standpoint. While Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar may be planned for the Universal title early next year, it’s Rollins who will be tearing the house down before the big fellas ever go on.
Assuming, of course, he doesn’t succumb to the pressure.
There’s no reason to think he will.