Since 2005, a small town, punk rock Iowa boy has been making waves in the wrestling world, regardless of his name or the company. Today, he celebrates his 32nd year of life. It's been a life full of hard work and championships, so let's take a walk through the phases of Colby Lopez/Tyler Black/ Seth Rollins.
FCW: Seth Rollins is Born
WWE captured the Indy icon in late 2010, giving him a developmental contract for FCW. He kept the alt rock image but portrayed a bit of a happier character, cutting promos and proving to everyone why he would soon become a household name. Rollins became the first after FCW champion after defeated Hunico in a championship tournament. He went on to capture the tag titles with Richie Steamboat and here we saw the beginning of the Shield formation with Rollins/Ambrose/Reigns often being pinned against each other in amazing bouts.
NXT: The Champ Is Here
FCW was rebranded into the new age NXT, and was giving a whole new generation of wrestlers chances they never thought they would get. Rollins was on a roll and entered the Gold Rush tournament to crown the first ever NXT Championship. On July 26th of 2012, Seth Rollins defeated Jinder Mahal to capture the first NXT Championship. While champion, Rollins' main feud was with Corey Graves with Seth working the baby face role and Graves excellently playing the heel card. Rollins would retain the title until losing in early 2013 to Big E Langston.
WWE: The Shield Era
On November 18th of 2012, three men attacked Ryback and let us continue to see the reign of CM Punk as champion. The next week on Raw, these three would cut a promo of a lifetime. The three would become the Hounds of Justice, on top of being the most dominant faction of a generation. While in the Shield, Rollins would become tag team champs with Reigns for the majority of their run as a faction. As all good things do, the Shield came to their end on June 2nd of 2014. Rollins became the heel, proving there is always a plan B and turning on his brothers to work for the Authority, also having one of the best feuds of an era with Ambrose in the coming months.
WWE: The Architect
Rollins entered himself into the Money in the Bank ladder match, and found success due to Kane. This is where the Ambrose feud really kicks off, with the two meeting at Battleground but the match being called off by Trips, and also at Summerslam, when Rollins was again victorious in a ladder match. The feud would continue throughout the summer, Rollins even curbstomping Ambrose through a pile of cinder blocks. This left Ambrose out of action for several weeks. This set up a Reigns angle, but the match was called off due to a needed surgery. Seth proudly came to blab about the victory before being attacked by a returning Ambrose at Night of Champions. The brotherhood feud would end at Hell in a Cell after Seth pinned Dean due to an interference from Bray Wyatt. Rollins would go on to capture both the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar and the United States Championship from John Cena. Rollins seemed unstoppable and untouchable, but during a live event in Dublin he tore the ACL, MCL and medial meniscus. Rollins would be gone from November of 2015 to May of 2016.
WWE: Redesign, Rebuild, Reclaim
The heel favorite returned to WWE as a babyface out to right his wrongs and persue his career alone. Shane booked a match for Money in the Bank, in which Rollins would win his 2nd WWE championship, only to lose it to the new Mr. Money In The Bank, Dean Ambrose, seconds later. Later in the summer, Seth would stand toe to toe with Finn Balor for the first ever Universal Championship. While he lost and injured Balor in the match, the quest for the title would continue. Just when it seemed Seth had captured the shiny new belt, Triple H would step in, securing the title for Kevin Owens. This would lead to a literal passing of the torch at Wrestlemania, earning Seth the title of King Slayer.
WWE: Monday Night Rollins
Samoa Joe kept Rollins occupied well into the summer of 2017, until an unexpected reunion lit up the wrestling world. Rollins came to the aid of Ambrose, who was suffering an attack from the Miztourage. The two would finally come to terms with one another for the first time in three years. This would go on to build a full Shield reunion, with Rollins capturing the tag belts this time with Ambrose. The reunion was short lived, as Reigns fell ill and Ambrose suffered an injury at the hands of Samoa Joe. This didn't stop Rollins's momentum, after a short bout with Kurt Angle, Seth went on to reclaim his tag team gold with Kurt's illegitimate son, and failure, Jason Jordan. Thankfully, Jordan was injured soon after and Seth was left for the first time since his major face turn to be on his own. This led to a last minute Elimination Chamber entry, along side Finn Balor and a grueling gauntlet match to set up what many are calling a dream feud. The two stood toe to toe with the Miz and at Wrestlemania Seth Rollins became a grand slam champion, capturing his first Intercontinental Championship. Rollins is now mixed in with a feud involving Balor that is set to run the majority of the summer.
Seth celebrates his 32nd year of life this week and is on the hottest roll of his career, which doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. So, may your day be filled with Crossfit, good coffee and beating up some guys to prove that you are in fact the King Slayer, The Architect and The Man. Believe that, and believe in Seth Rollins.