5 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (Feb 23)

3. Seth Rollins Burns It Down

Jeff Jarrett
WWE.com

On a record-setting Monday Night RAW, Seth Rollins wrestled in excess of an hour, against Roman Reigns and John Cena, to remind everybody of his headlining credentials. And, while he spent a good 40 minutes of the night in John Cena's headlock, he still projected himself as a genuine star in the aftermath of it. It is to his credit that his selling did not render the whole thing absurd.

The match with Roman Reigns was the superior of the two. It was great stuff - electrifying at times. Cena was all over the place psychologically at the start of his performance. He lurked behind Rollins, drained after a 30 minute epic, like he was scared on his first day of big school. The match recovered to hit the finisher kickout Cena sweet spots, but this a weird performance from the man, in the main. It was so odd, too, to witness Cena take a loss as the second domino in, of all things, a Gauntlet match. This is a man who once dominated the show to such an extent that a generation of developmental talent suffered in his wake. Irrespective of the quality of the match(es), this was a booking masterstroke on the part of WWE. The company no longer capable of creating stars created - or restored - a star over the span of one hour and five minutes.

And, provided you count this as a singular attraction, this, at 106 minutes and 55 seconds, was officially the longest match in WWE history - narrowly edging out Triple H Vs. Scott Steiner at Royal Rumble '03.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!