It was bound to happen.
Seth Rollins had a vice grip on Vinny Mac’s good old “brass ring”. He is one of only a couple of newer
generation talents to break through the glass ceiling into the Main Event stratosphere…. and succeed. Talented, charismatic, and embracing his persona as a heel World Champion more and more with each passing week, Seth has just begun to scratch the surface of his character, and more importantly, his place among the all-time greatest performers in the WWE. Then, like Daniel Bryan last year, a very serious injury takes it all away.
Rollins will be back and better than ever sometime next year. But what do we do in the interim? We have all read the articles about creative needing to completely revamp their plans for the Main Event picture all the way through next year’s Mania. With Cena out of action for the time being, Bryan and Orton injured, and Brock on sabbatical, the current Main Event picture is in danger of being almost completely snuffed out without a healthy Rollins carrying the ball as World Champion. The WWE brass is likely scrambling for ideas, because as much as they would love for their audience to believe they are in tune with what their fans actually want, they simply fear change. The fact of the matter is, change is EXACTLY what the fans are craving, and with Rollins on the shelf, now is the perfect time to give it to them!
We know a tournament is being booked for Survivor Series, and that’s about it for now. The question is: how will it play out? WWE has copious amounts of talent on the roster. With a tournament on the horizon, and without an established Main Event star to pass the torch in a program, the sky is the limit for any one of these Superstars to rise up and grab the ball come November 22nd. I remember how I felt when Chris Jericho beat Triple H on Raw for the Title in 2000? A top end mid card talent at the time, defeating the established top guy in the company without warning… I want to have that feeling again. I want to see the talent we all know is there legitimately step up!
In my world, this is how I elevate the World Championship, and help usher in a crop of newer faces into the Main Event picture:
Over the next two weeks, tournament qualifying matches will happen on Raw and Smackdown. The announce teams will continually hype the opportunity that these individuals all have to grab the proverbial “brass ring” and become the new World Champion at Survivor Series. Once the dust settles, we will have four tournament contenders set for Survivor Series. These four Superstars are: Roman Reigns, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose. It’s a mix of talents that have tasted the Main Event spotlight in the last few years, and those that have been on the cusp for some time. The stage will be set, and the hype to crown a new World Champion will be at a fever pitch!
November 22nd: Survivor Series is finally here! The fans are salivating, and the excitement is at an all-time high! The semifinal bracket will pit Dolph Ziggler against Sheamus in the opening match. The announce team sells the history between these two from earlier in the year as we get underway. Ziggler being the underdog, as per usual becomes the talking point for the commentators, as does the fact that Sheamus still has the coveted Money In The Bank contract at his side. Dolph comes out swinging fast early, gaining a quick advantage over the Celtic Warrior with his speed. But just as Dolph starts to picks up steam, Sheamus uses his size to gain the upper hand. The beating ensues, as Dolph continues to take the worst end of it. He tries to fight back, but Sheamus is just too strong. The announce team begins to write Ziggler off, and teases that Sheamus may just get to hang onto the briefcase and still get his shot at the Championship tonight with a win here. In true Dolph Ziggler style, he fights back, and begins to mount a comeback. Then BOOM, a Brogue Kick out of nowhere! 1… 2… Kick out! The crowd goes nuts! Sheamus can’t believe it and argues with the ref. He turns around to pick a groggy Ziggler off the mat, and gets rolled up in a small package. 1… 2… 3!!!! Dolph Ziggler advances, and the crowd goes into a full blown frenzy! Sheamus can’t believe it, and promptly starts beating Ziggler down. Multiple referees have to pull him away, but the damage has been done. Ziggler sells hurt ribs as the refs help him to the locker room, while the announce team teases that he may be unable to compete later tonight due to injury.
The second semifinal matchup pits Roman Reigns against his longtime friend and ally, Dean Ambrose.
The announce team sells the relationship and history on these two from Shield members, to brothers in arms. The match starts, and Reigns & Ambrose shake hands before locking up. The crowd is going crazy, and split down the middle for these two. They feel each other out for a bit, trading holds and reversals. But the match quickly turns into a brawl with bombs being thrown. Reigns grabs the upper hand and starts to throw Ambrose around the ring, but Ambrose keeps getting up. The announce team sells the brotherhood these two have had over the years, and how the quest for the Championship outweighs that brotherhood. The momentum swings back and forth, with Reigns using his power, and Ambrose using his tenacity to try and gain the advantage. Reigns goes on a tear, and hits Ambrose with multiple stiff clotheslines. Ambrose bounces off the ropes and goes for a clothesline of his own, but Reigns ducks it, hits the ropes, and nails Ambrose with a vicious Superman Punch. Pin attempt, and Ambrose kicks out! Reigns is getting frustrated, knocks Ambrose back into the ropes, Dean rebounds back, and nails a huge clothesline on Roman. The crowd is becoming unglued. Ambrose climbs the turnbuckle to set up for his patented diving clothesline. He waits for Reigns to get to his feet, dives, and… SPEAR in midair from Reigns! 1… 2… 3! Roman Reigns advances to the finals! Roman helps Dean to his feet and extends his hand. After a few tense minutes, they shake hands and hug it out in the ring to cheers from the crowd! The announce team sells the fact that blood is indeed thicker than water, and evidently the WWE World Championship!
Our World Championship match is set: An injured Dolph Ziggler versus a weary, but battle ready Roman Reigns! Ziggler slowly makes his way to the ring with taped ribs, hard selling his injury from earlier in the evening. The announce team recaps his come from behind win over Sheamus defying all odds, and the brutal beating he took after the match. They go on to say that given his condition, Dolph’s resiliency may have finally run out for this match. Reigns hits the ring looking motivated. The announce team puts his journey to the World Championship over, and talks about how this may finally be the night that he achieves his dream. Both Superstars eye each other up, and the bell rings for our Main Event!
Reigns takes an early advantage over the injured Ziggler, hitting him with haymakers and power moves early. Dolph tries to defend, but Roman’s power is too much. As the match wears on, Ziggler gets in a few strikes on Reigns, but can’t seem to mount a sustained offense with his injured ribs. Reigns puts Ziggler down with a stiff clothesline, and hits the corner to set up for his Superman Punch. Ziggler staggers to his feet, and Reigns cocks his right fist, launching himself at his opponent. Dolph miraculously ducks the strike, and nails Roman with a Super Kick, as both men slam incoherently into the mat. The crowd is going crazy for this one, as the announce team is in awe of Ziggler’s resiliency!
As the combatants lay there, Dean Ambrose comes out to ringside to cheer his brother on in the corner. Both men slowly rise to their feet at opposite sides of the ring. Dolph is the first to rise, and runs at Roman with an attempted clothesline. Reigns ducks, hits the ropes and nails Ziggler with a Spear. But the referee is out of position directly behind Ziggler, and absorbs the impact of the Spear as well. With the ref out cold, Reigns goes for the pin. The crowd counts 1… 2… 3… but no referee! Ambrose is outside of the ring slapping the mat, cheering Reigns on, but a frustrated Roman Reigns stands up and looks at his opponent and referee in confusion. Ambrose then throws a chair into the ring and points to Reigns to use it on Ziggler to solidify a win. Roman looks more confused, and Dean gets onto the apron, and into the ring to try and talk his brother into using the chair. Reigns shakes his head and throws the chair out of the ring. As he turns around, Ambrose kicks him in the gut, and nails him with Dirty Deeds! Reigns is out in the center of the ring! The crowd is freaking out as Ambrose rolls out of the ring and walks back to the locker room to a sea of boos. Ziggler stirs, and crawls over an unconscious Roman Reigns. He drapes an arm over his opponent; the ref regains consciousness and counts, 1… 2… 3! The announce team can’t believe it… the crowd is berserk! Winner and NEW WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Dolph Ziggler!
As he continues selling his injuries, Dolph doesn’t even have the strength to raise his arm, or his newly won Championship. Multiple referees are in the ring trying to help Ziggler up. The crowd is cheering him on when Sheamus’ music hits and the Celtic Warrior makes his way to the ring, Money In The Bank briefcase in hand! The referees try to keep Sheamus away from the prone Champion, but Sheamus breaks through, picks Dolph up, and hits the ropes for a devastating Brogue Kick. Ziggler is out cold! Sheamus grabs a referee by the shirt and hands him the briefcase, demanding he starts the match. The bell rings, and Sheamus covers Ziggler for the win. The crowd is beside itself! The announce team can’t believe it either! Your new Champion is Sheamus as Survivor Series goes off the air!
Booked and done! The aftermath of this accomplishes a few things.·
- Dolph Ziggler is once again thrust into the Main Event picture and has a several month long program chasing the Title with Sheamus, ending in a WrestleMania Championship match that Dolph wins! The build keeps Dolph as the undersized, underdog that continues to defy the odds, and ultimately achieves his dreams!·
- Sheamus finally cashes in, and elevates himself back into the Main Event picture as well. This opens up several potential feuds after his program with Ziggler, all of which will keep Sheamus visible as an A squad player. A place he has been before, and as a more than capable heel (remember his main roster debut?), one where he can continue to excel.·
- A made in heaven high caliber feud between Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose is ignited! This culminates in a highly anticipated WrestleMania match as well. Ambrose has the capacity to take on a ruthless top heel position in the company in place of Rollins, and run rough shot through talent as Reigns chases him to gain retribution. There is no limit on where Ambrose can take his character here!
By the time the rest of the Main Event talent is back and/or healthy, we now have a handful of new top tier faces for rivalries to be started with. The Main Event wheel isn’t being reinvented, just fitted with a few newer, talented spokes to complement the established ones. Imagine Daniel Bryan coming back and rekindling his feud with Sheamus after WrestleMania? Or a healthy Seth Rollins returning next year as a baby face to team up with Roman Reigns to battle their fallen ex-Shield brother? Or my favorite, Dolph Ziggler taking on all comers as an underdog World Champion a la HBK back in the day, and capturing clean wins over big dogs like Orton, or Cena, while also further elevating the likes of Cesaro, Owens, Wyatt, etc.? The possibilities are endless! The thought of seeing someone like Ziggler get his well-deserved shot (again) sparks a whole lot of excitement, and frankly would rejuvenate the product as a whole, and several talents around him as a result.
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