Seth Rollins is on an all-time run — maybe even better than Roman Reigns

[Liz]

Acknowledge him. No, not Roman Reigns, but Seth "Freakin'" Rollins.

We have heard plenty from WWE and Reigns himself about how the "Tribal Chief" is in "God Mode," putting himself in the pantheon of the all-time greats and dubbing himself the best performer of his era in the promotion. Reigns deserves all the praise he gets, but if you don't think Rollins has at least put himself right on that level — and potentially even a step better — then you need to look a little closer.

What's really been the difference between the on-screen accomplishments of the two over the past year? Reigns is booked to win and be champion, while Rollins hasn't won a pay-per-view match clean since he defeated Cesaro on June 20, 2021 at Hell in a Cell. That's one whole year. His lone "win" is by DQ against Reigns at the Royal Rumble.

Rollins losing so much doesn't allow WWE to make the plain-to-see comparisons about what he's done to greats such as Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backland.

Like Reigns, Rollins has found his ideal on-screen character — cackling laugh, swag and all. Maybe outside his stellar 2016, Rollins has never been more entertaining week in and week out. He can easily flip from babyface to heel depending upon his opponent — just ask Reigns when he was the babyface to an extent in their feud — and doesn't need an entourage. There is no special counsel, no Usos to do his dirty work, just Seth Rollins, one-man show.

Rollins has his own unique style with his suits each week — no WWE T-shirts here. Even his pay-per-view outfits have become must-see as he's used them to play storyline mind games with his opponents. Rollins wore his Shield gear against Reigns with the full entrance, Dusty Rhodes' polka dots versus Cody Rhodes and gear inspired by Rey Mysterio's Halloween Havoc 1997 for their feud. It is another level of intriguing unpredictably that makes fans want to see Rollins' opponent beat him even more.

All of it has allowed Rollins to do the hardest job in pro wrestling: staying fresh, relevant and a believable threat to his opponents even while losing.

Then there is the sheer quality of the matches he has helped deliver. The all-time greats get the best out of their opponents and can have multiple matches with the same person and still keep them fresh. Rollins does this consistently and Reigns, after a very, very strong start as Tribal Chief, has slipped a little bit in his match quality. His overhyped WrestleMania 38 match with Brock Lesnar underwhelmed.

Since last year's WrestleMania, Rollins has had just four different opponents in pay-per-view singles matches and completed two stellar trilogies with Edge and Rhodes. Since Reigns' last four-star singles match from the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer — a title defense versus "Demon" Finn Balor at the 2021 Extreme Rules in September — Rollins has had six singles matches rated four stars or more. (Rollins vs. Reigns at the Royal Rumble was 3.5 stars and potentially not helped by the DQ finish). Rollins' Hell in a Cell match with Rhodes was the first five-star WWE match since CM Punk versus John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011.

(Yes, Meltzer's rating system is based on his preferences but it's one of the few tangible systems we have to compare wrestlers' work.)

Rollins built a WrestleMania story this year without an official opponent to play off of on TV, and made you believe at least for a second it might not be Rhodes. And while he and Rhodes can now draw money together at any moment for years to come, Rollins likely helped establish the "American Nightmare" as a star worthy enough be the person to end Reigns' historic title run. (Potentially taking the moment from himself.) Reigns so far, potentially outside Rollins hand Jey Uso to an extent, hasn't helped WWE produce a new main event star. Though he will maybe get his best chance with Riddle next week on "SmackDown."

The praise Rollins and Rhodes received after the Hell in a Cell match started to shine a light on just how good a run this has been for the former Shield member. It could get better should he win Money in the Bank. Rhodes, who still needs to do it in WWE away from Rollins, could get to that level, too. But right now in WWE, it's Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and everyone else.

Acknowledge that.