The "RAW" brand's main event scene is as hot as the summer sun heading into SummerSlam.
Top heel Seth Rollins will take on former NXT sensation Finn Balor in the latter's first main roster pay-per-view match to crown the first-ever WWE Universal Champion. These two are sure to steal the show at SummerSlam on Aug. 21 at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.
The WWE seems to finally be listening to its fans, cooling off on the mega push of Lex Lu, ahem, Roman Reigns and pushing stars like Balor to the forefront, making "The Biggest Event of the Summer" look like a classic -- at least on paper.
Balor has been through it all on his journey to the WWE and certainly deserves some consideration to be the new face of "RAW." He can bring it on the microphone and his in-ring skills are some of the best in the business.
Rollins, however, is even better on the microphone -- as evidenced on "RAW" this week -- and is one of the best in-ring performers in history.
Here are three reasons why "The Architect" should serve as the first ever Universal Champion on the Red Brand.
1) He never originally lost the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Rollins was on fire in the WWE when he was befallen by a debilitating knee injury, causing him to miss seven months. "The Architect" put on classic match after classic match in 2015, and was deservedly voted as the company's Superstar of the Year at the annual Slammy Awards.
When he injured his knee during a match with Kane overseas last November, he was forced to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Upon returning, he won the belt back and instantly lost to Dean Ambrose, who cashed in his MITB briefcase and then lost his rematch, but he never did lose it prior to his injury.
The injury led to the unfortunate continuation of Reigns' mega push until the leader of the Roman Empire screwed up by violating a wellness policy. Now that Rollins is back, it's only fitting the WWE reward his work ethic and nonstop effort to get to full health with some gold.
2) He's the face of 'RAW'
Balor can one day be the face of "Monday Night RAW," but with Reigns mired in the midcard and the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles over on "SmackDown," the stage is set for Rollins to be the cornerstone of Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley's brand. His rise to prominence began over two years ago and not even an injury could stop him from remaining over.
When Brock Lesnar was serving as a part-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion in 2014 and early 2015, Rollins was the one being showcased in the main event during "The Beast's" lengthy absences. It was during this time that a meteoric rise began for Rollins, leading to the WWE booking arguably the greatest finish in WrestleMania history in March of 2015 as he became the first man to ever cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase and win the title at the biggest show of the year.
Though the WWE made some questionable booking decisions with Rollins as champion (feud with Kane anyone?), he still put on a great match against anyone and everyone they put him in the ring with. Now that he's fully healthy and "RAW" needs a leader, he's the perfect choice to carry the "RAW" brand from SummerSlam and beyond.
3) Balor needs time
Yes, Balor is more deserving of a mega push than the likes of Reigns and has wrestled all over the world in many different promotions, but this is the WWE. The company has already shown him good faith by giving him a main event spot this early on in his main roster tenure, but there's no reason to hot shot the title onto him regardless of his resume.
The company has a bad habit of awarding guys too soon and then having them toil around in the midcard for years, losing their edge and hype. Names like Reigns, Sheamus and The Miz certainly resemble that remark, even if Balor admittedly blows them out of the water. The WWE could easily build Balor up slowly -- since he's already very over with the WWE Universe -- and have him gain some serious momentum before winning the big prize.
With the Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose bout guaranteeing that "SmackDown" will have a babyface champion following SummerSlam barring a heel turn, it makes sense for the WWE to have Balor lose in a valiant effort that keeps his heat and to have Rollins go over as "RAW's" heel representative.
