8 Moments That Led Seth Rollins To WWE 2K18 Cover Star
2. Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.
In October 2015, Rollins saw his tremendous run as the top dog in WWE come to a screeching halt in Dublin, Ireland, during a match with Kane. Attempting a sunset flip powerbomb from the top rope and through a table, Rollins' foot caught the mat at an awkward angle, forcing his knee to buckle.
In one fell swoop, he tore his MCL and ACL and was forced to relinquish the WWE Championship he had worked so hard to win and defend. His rehabilitation from the injury, captured in the WWE Network presentation WWE 24: Seth Rollins - Rebuild, Redesign, Reclaim, was frustrating and intense. Despite all efforts to return in time for WrestleMania 32 in 2016, he was unable to push himself enough to do so.
The raw emotion that painted his face throughout the documentary portrayed a man so passionate about his profession that it legitimately pained him to not be able to perform. It allowed the audience to relate to him, to sympathize for him and to appreciate how much he cared about entertaining them.
By the time he returned in May, planting Roman Reigns with a Pedigree at the conclusion of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, it was clear he could not longer be the obnoxious heel WWE had counted on so heavily in 2015.
Eventually, it cut ties with that persona and turned him full babyface by August, an essential step toward his appearance on the cover of WWE 2K18.