10 Wrestlers Who Changed Their Perception In A Heartbeat

2. Seth Rollins

Dr Britt Baker
WWE.com

Before:

People seemed to like the idea of Seth Rollins as 2019 Men's Royal Rumble winner more than they loved it. There was never a sense, unlike with a Steve Austin (1998) or a Daniel Bryan (2014), that it had to be him, nor of an Undertaker (2007), which while not life-affirming at least guaranteed something big time. It was process of elimination; it was as if WWE fans had settled for Seth, which later bred a resentment. Rollins wasn't vociferously rejected as the tippy-top guy - his defence against AJ Styles tore the house down, and most reasonable people knew that the Baron Corbin feud was not his fault - but he wasn't on fire, either. He was boring and a tad unlikeable in his Mandated WWE Babyface Promos. Perhaps because...

In a heartbeat:

Rollins absolutely lost it on Stomping Grounds Eve, at which point, in defiant response to the apathetic response to his own hard work and the scorn WWE had invited with its Wild Card bullsh*t, he proclaimed WWE to be the "best pro wrestling on the planet, period". A heartbeat is literal in this case; he pressed send tweet and turned heel, as a whining bubble boy with a d*ck-headed penchant for flexing his bank bank balance and a beyond deluded claim to being the best wrestler in the world. He wasn't. WWE wasn't. But people knew this and hardly blamed the guy before he begged for it.

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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!