Seth Freakin' Rollins: Reinvention King

 

In pro wrestling and really entertainment in general, you have to evolve, tweak and reinvent yourself from time to time to stay relevant. Most people consider Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy and The Undertaker as the kings of reinventing themselves in the wrestling world. I may throw Edge, Kane, and Matt Cardona into the conversation. Lately, I have to give Seth Rollins a nod as a reinvention king.

When he debuted with The Shield in 2012 he was the firecracker of the group. He executed the exciting moves during matches, his style was faster and more high impact than the brawling style of the then Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley) and the power of Roman Reigns. When he turned on them in 2014 and joined The Authority he became their golden boy.

Known as "The Architect" who created the blueprint to success. He was well protected by The Authority, a cowardly and sniveling little weasel. He made you hate him, he gained confidence on the microphone and he created iconic moments sneaking his way into a championship. His WrestleMania 31 Money In The Bank cash-in is classic.

After that reign ended, he piddle paddled around in various feuds and even a Shield reunion, until becoming the "Monday Night Messiah" in 2019. He punished his opponents for the greater good and eventually gained "followers" in Buddy Murphy and Authors Of Pain. His messiah look was accentuated by the one glove he always wore. Which I believe legend has it was initially to cover up a injury but then became a fixture of his presentation. This persona to me is when he really bought into the character aspect of being a wrestler. When cutting promos he really believed he was a savior of the people.

Then in 2021 after a brief hiatus he returned wearing flashy suits and calling himself "The Visionary" or as he is commonly called "The Drip Gawd". To be honest it took me a while to get on board with this persona of Seth and I'm not the only one who was a skeptic. But damnit he has really turned up the volume on his presentation that is hard not to appreciate it. From the cackling over the top laugh, trolling methods he uses such as cosplaying as RVD during Extreme Rules in Philadelphia. The orchestra like gesture to the crowd as they sing along to his theme. 

He is presenting "The Visionary" as so over the top and larger than life it's becoming harder not to root for him. His suits have gotten more outlandish, and his mannerisms greatly exaggerated, while his in-ring style is just as fast paced, high energy and chaotic as before. Albeit toned down a bit to accommodate injuries and father time. 

The Visionary is just so different from what people are use to seeing from Seth, that he has truly learned what it means to reinvent himself. I'm in no rush for The Visionary persona to end, but when it does I believe whatever his next incarnation will be just as great. I think he should be included in the conversation as a reinvention king.