The knee injury incurred by Seth Rollins on the WWE tour in Dublin, Ireland placed a temporary halt on the professional wrestling career of the company's main man. With Seth Rollins out of the picture at this point, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship title is now up for grabs.
The former Shield member had repeatedly defended the title, and no opponent ever succeeded in ripping it off his hands. Among the many WWE stars who gave the World Heavyweight Championship a shot are John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Kane. However, none of these professional wrestlers managed to dethrone Seth Rollins - that is, until today when The Architect fell victim to an inappropriately executed stunt that now requires him to undergo surgery and rehab in the coming months.
Throughout the reign of Seth Rollins as WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a few names have been consistently thrown in the list of potential successors.
Roman Reigns
At some point in the past, the WWE universe had been so certain of Roman Reigns' imminent victory and eventual emergence as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. One of the most widely anticipated matches had been Wrestlemania, wherein Roman Reigns was set to attempt to snag the title from The Beast himself.
However, things took quite a turn when Seth Rollins cunningly cashed in his Money In The Bank contract while both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar were down after beating each other senseless. Needless to say, Seth Rollins' strategy saw him emerge as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that night. With Seth Rollins finally, albeit temporarily, out of the picture, fans and followers of the WWE universe are hoping that Roman Reigns will step up and grab the WWE World Heavyweight Championship once and for all.
Dean Ambrose
The Lunatic Fringe has always been a crowd favorite among the WWE stars. With his notable strength and peculiar charm in the ring, Dean Ambrose has gained the love and affection of the WWE fans since he first step forth with "brothers" Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins back when the trio comprised the group Shield. The moment Seth Rollins betrayed them to be part of The Authority, however, the feud concentrated on The Architect and Roman Reigns. As Dean Ambrose steadily climbs the popularity charts, it remains to be seen if the company will use The Lunatic Fringe's growing fame to their advantage and crown him as the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Meanwhile, Seth Rollins revealed in an interview following his injury that the possibility of getting replaced as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is of no consequence to him.
"You know, for me, over the last seven months I really put my stamp on that title as mine," shared Seth Rollins in an interview with WWE. The Architect added, "I've defended it against literally everyone that has come at me and done it successfully, so for me to have to vacate the title like that, I'm not afraid of whatever happens at Survivor Series. Whoever happens to come out with the championship, as far as I'm concerned, they're an interim champion and kind of just holding on to my title until I get back. They can look at it however they want, but for me, I'm the best and I've never lost my title. So, when I get back, I plan on picking up where I left off."
