Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins made a surprise return Sunday night at Extreme Rules and delivered a clear message to current champ Roman Reigns at the end of the show: Rollins wants his belt back. Unfortunately for Rollins, he might have to wait a while to become a two-time heavyweight champ.
Since Rollins was forced out of action with a serious knee injury last November and had to vacate his title, which he won at WrestleMania 31, and in the time Rollins has been away the belt has been held by Reigns (for a matter of minutes), Sheamus, Reigns (again), Triple H, and Reigns (again).
The WWE has spent a tremendous amount of time pushing Reigns - who was initially hated by fans but has been slowly winning some over - and even though Rollins is back, it seems highly unlikely that Reigns will immediately drop the title. Such a move would undo the work Reigns has done in Rollins' absence.
Rollins should definitely regain his title, but the real question is when, and how will WWE handle the other wrestlers in the title picture? AJ Styles and Reigns have delivered some very impressive pay-per-view main events at Payback and Extreme Rules, and though Styles lost both times, he's a fan favorite and shouldn't be shoved aside into no man's land just because Rollins is back.
It's also important to remember that WWE is set to welcome a few other high-profile returning stars who could enter the WWE title picture. John Cena will be back May 30th, and both Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt are set to return in the next few weeks. Many expect Cena to challenge newly crowned U.S. champion Rusev and resume their dormant feud, but WWE may be wary of repeating the same storyline from 2014.
In the immediate future, barring a debut from Finn Balor which could occupy AJ Styles with a Club angle, we could see a three-way battle for the WWE title in the coming weeks or months (Styles told Fox Sports earlier this year that he'd love to work with Rollins in the ring). In a few weeks another wrestler could enter the title picture at Money In The Bank. In any event, Reigns (eventually) losing his championship is going to be a big event, and I'd expect a changeover at a megashow like SummerSlam at the earliest.
