Seth Rollins believes that Roman Reigns has “ruined” the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
On Thursday, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” to comment on WrestleMania 40, trying to convince Cody Rhodes to face him instead of Reigns, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On having asked Cody Rhodes to challenge him and not Roman Reigns: “I said, Cody Rhodes, come take a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. I understand Cody Rhodes, one of the top performers in WWE, WWE. He’s got to finish the story. He’s got the story in mind. He wants the WWE championship. It’s a title that his father, the late great American Dream Dusty Rhodes, has never won. Almost won it, had it ripped away. He never won it. He wants to fulfill that destiny. I understand that, but that title don’t mean what it once did. Roman Reigns has ruined that title. This is the championship in WWE right here. This is the most prestigious title in our entire industry. I’ve put in the work over the past year to make it that way. And I want to test myself against the best at WrestleMania and the best is the winner of the Royal Rumble now two years in a row, Cody Rhodes. That’s what I want.”
On how Roman Reigns has ruined his title: “Well, look, Roman Reigns… working on his own schedule all, and in his mind, he thinks that makes the title bigger and maybe at a time, that was the truth. But the problem is, Roman Reigns isn’t present, which means his title isn’t present, which means you don’t have a crack at it, which means there’s a glass ceiling, which means this the title that he holds isn’t gonna be in every town, in every city. It’s not there. It’s the Hollywood title it’s as close to a prop, as you can call it and I don’t want to demean it, because I’ve been the World Heavyweight champion, that WWE champion and when I was, I took it everywhere. I defended it all over the place. I made sure that it was present. I made sure that it was on Raw. It was on SmackDown. I made sure that other people had an opportunity at that title. He has kind of demeaned the title so much that it just don’t mean what this one means, man. I built this one up from nothing, from scratch. This didn’t exist a year ago. Didn’t exist a year ago, and now I’m walking into WrestleMania, biggest champion in the biz.”
Seth Rollins Criticizes Roman Reigns for Ruining the WWE Universal Championship
In a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Seth Rollins expressed his dissatisfaction with Roman Reigns and how he believes Reigns has “ruined” the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Rollins, the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, discussed his thoughts on WrestleMania 40 and why he believes Cody Rhodes should challenge him instead of Reigns.
Rollins began by acknowledging Cody Rhodes as one of the top performers in WWE and understanding his desire to win the WWE championship, a title that his late father, Dusty Rhodes, never achieved. However, Rollins argued that the title no longer holds the same significance it once did, attributing this decline to Reigns’ reign as champion.
According to Rollins, Reigns operates on his own schedule and believes that this approach makes the title more prestigious. However, Rollins disagrees, stating that Reigns’ absence from regular appearances means that the title is not present in every town and city. This lack of accessibility creates a glass ceiling for other wrestlers who aspire to challenge for the championship.
Rollins emphasized the importance of a champion being present and defending the title regularly. He highlighted his own reign as WWE champion, where he made sure to take the title everywhere, defending it on both Raw and SmackDown. Rollins believes that Reigns has demeaned the title by not making it readily available for other wrestlers to compete for.
The WWE Universal Championship, in Rollins’ eyes, has become more like a prop than a prestigious title. He clarified that he does not intend to demean the championship but feels that Reigns’ handling of it has diminished its value. In contrast, Rollins takes pride in building up the current WWE World Heavyweight Championship from scratch over the past year.
Rollins concluded by expressing his desire to face the best at WrestleMania, which he believes is Cody Rhodes, the winner of the Royal Rumble for two consecutive years. He sees this match as an opportunity to prove himself as the biggest champion in the industry.
While Rollins’ comments may be seen as controversial by some fans, they shed light on the importance of a champion’s presence and the impact it has on the perception and value of a championship title. As the wrestling world eagerly awaits WrestleMania 40, it remains to be seen whether Rollins will get his desired match against Rhodes or if Reigns will continue to hold the WWE Universal Championship.