Seth Rollins Leaves WWE WrestleMania 40 Kickoff Event Without A Dance Partner

Heading into Thursday's WWE WrestleMania Kickoff event, it felt like it was pretty straightforward that two world title matches would be announced: Roman Reigns versus The Rock for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, and Seth Rollins versus Cody Rhodes for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Instead, everyone left Las Vegas knowing only that Cody had used his Royal Rumble victory to challenge Roman for his title, reversing an earlier declaration on SmackDown, where he said he wasn't coming for Reigns at WrestleMania.

Rollins' world title was established (in storyline) in May 2023 in response to Roman taking his unified world titles home with him for extended periods of time and rarely defending them/it. He spent the past several months talking up the championship and defending it regularly, calling it the "workhorse championship" for WWE.

But he was left on stage at Thursday's event looking dejected when both Rock and Rhodes declared they wanted Roman at Mania, making him a spare part in the scene. Roman once again derided Rollins as holding the secondary championship and told Cody to challenge Seth instead in the "loser's bracket."

The closest Rollins -- who is dealing with a serious knee injury and apparently not medically cleared to compete -- got to being involved in the Rock-Roman-Rhodes fiasco was stepping up to seemingly back Cody when the Samoans advanced on him for insulting their family. After Rock slapped Rhodes, Rollins jawed with both Bloodline members.

Still, that all leaves the future of the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40 up in the air. There is plenty of time to lock in a match, but you can't help but feel like the title is living down to its worst billing as an afterthought and secondary world championship with no one wanting it and the champ possibly having to play third fiddle in a feud that doesn't involve him or his title.