10 Precise Moments Wrestling Fans Rejected Internet Darlings

8. Seth Rollins - WWE Raw, February 27, 2017

Bray Wyatt Spooky Lil Kid
WWE

Seth Rollins is two, clashing types of wrestler sharing the same skin.

At his best, he's a superb and arguably underrated in-ring performer. He's not the coolest wrestler, and he's WWE through and through, so he'll never be truly revered in snob circles.

He's also a highly driven or frankly smug fellow, which has often prevented him from connecting with crowds in the tippy-top role. He's not a Jon Moxley or Steve Austin type. He isn't impossible not to root for.

So he's neither a true babyface nor a true heel, and to support that point, he's currently playing a heel that fans seem rather keen on getting behind but has previously been rejected - twice - when playing babyface. At the second attempt, in 2019, Rollins was rejected by fans because he was never the guy to begin with, and his meltdowns on Twitter when cosplaying as the guy were cringe-worthy. Standing Up For WWE Rollins wasn't anywhere near as good as Blonde Streak Rollins

The first was so telling that he probably shouldn't have been entrusted to play the top babyface a second time; on the February 27, 2017 Raw, Rollins poured his heart out about his comeback from injury but was pelted with chants of "CM Punk!"

This underscored his demotion from internet darling status; he evolved from great workrate heel to babyface poser.

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!