10 Things Wrong With Every Episode Of WWE Raw
9. Scripted Promos
Seth Rollins enjoyed a disappointing return to the fold in 2016 - but why?
In an attempt to solidify his status as a headliner, the man has packed on muscle mass - but unlike Triple H's similar physique enhancement in 1999, this has compromised much of what brought him to prominence in the first place. Rollins has lost a step, post knee surgery; ironically, his repertoire was more likely to pop the crowd when he was a heel.
The suddenness with which Rollins turned - necessitated by the untimely injury incurred by Finn Bálor - hasn't helped his cause. But Rollins' promo material is so lame and homogenised that a slow-building turn, manipulated to maximise emotional investment, would probably have generated the same apathetic reaction.
Rollins is effectively playing the same role as Roman Reigns - smug, overbearing, with an undertone of comedic desperation. Where Roman Reigns once infamously failed to launch the catchphrase "Tater Tots" at Sheamus' expense - even The Rock would have struggled with that one - Rollins has designated Chris Jericho as "Sparklecrotch" and "Bon Jovi". Neither caught on because it's too obvious that it's not his real voice we're hearing. It's Reigns', Cena's, Ambrose's - a failed Hollywood writer by any other name, essentially.