Seth Rollins subtly turns heel after mocking, manipulating fan favorites on WWE Raw

Back in black and talking smack, Seth Rollins displayed all the traits of heel this week on Raw.

Following the events of the Royal Rumble, Rollins came prancing to the ring on Monday night looking like a villain ripped straight from a 1970s cartoon. Dressed in black — the color of choice for bad guys — Rollins wore a cowboy hat and leather trench coat as he gleefully mocked fan favorites CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

Next, Rollins went after Roman Reigns. At the mention of the Only Tribal Chief’s name, Cleveland let out a massive “OTC” chant. Rollins, over that chant, responded, “You guys really ain’t gonna like this then.”

Following a vague update earlier in the night by announcer Michael Cole, Rollins said plainly, “Roman Reigns is hurt,” referencing his two curb stomps to the Chief’s head at the Royal Rumble. He even suggested that Reigns could miss WrestleMania because of his attack.

Finally, Rollins called Sami Zayn to the ring for a pep talk. In an Elimination Chamber qualifier, Zayn was set to meet CM Punk. Rollins, ever the manipulator, used the moment to pump up Zayn as a way of him doing his dirty work and derailing Punk’s WrestleMania dreams.

That outcome won’t sit well with Rollins, who is cementing himself as the villain ahead of WrestleMania. From his style choices to his delight in the misery of fan favorites and puppeteering of Zayn, Rollins has proven himself to be ruthless, calculating, and just plain despicable. Though he still fed the crowd lines to sing along to, he also served them a heaping plate of tarte à la merde.