With Jeff Hardy’s big United States Championship win giving him his career Grand Slam in WWE, it also happened to send him to SmackDown LIVE as part of the recent Superstar Shake-up.
Hardy was one of the many big names that made the move from Monday Night RAW, joining the likes of The Bar, Asuka, Samoa Joe and The Miz as some of the huge stars that effectively gave the blue brand the ‘win’ in the Shake-up.
PLANS
However, there were a couple of names which fans believed were certain to be moving in the opposite direction. One of them was AJ Styles, who had been rumoured to be moving for months, and another was current Intercontinental Champion, Seth Rollins.
Obviously, the Greatest Royal Rumble event on April 27 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia can still change things around based on the championship matches taking place, but Rollins and the Intercontinental Championship are now expected to remain on the red brand.
The Kingslayer is also going to be in action in the Middle East and faces a huge task ahead of him. At the moment, he’s booked in a Fatal 4-Way ladder match with his title on the line against Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and The Miz. However, reports have emerged claiming that Bobby Lashley could be the fifth man added to that match.
Now, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed which two feuds WWE could be planning for Rollins this year and while they sound underwhelming, they haven’t confirmed whether or not these feuds will feature the Intercontinental Championship.
FEUDS
According to Rajah, with Rollins staying as a face on RAW moving forward, the expectation is that one opponent he will engage in a feud with is Jinder Mahal. The Maharaja was the first to move to the red brand after an impressive year on SmackDown which saw him claim the WWE Championship.
The second feud is one that had been speculated before his injury, and could see Jason Jordan turn heel to battle Rollins. Once Dean Ambrose was taken out of the WWE’s plans because of his own injury, there were strong rumours that Kurt Angle’s on-screen son could end up turning heel to battle Rollins, while a feud with Angle himself had also been speculated.
The reason WWE has decided to pick Mahal and Jordan is because they’re going to be the only two strong mid-card heels on RAW, and the face side is going to be balanced out by both The Big Show and Bobby Roode.
With Brock Lesnar said to be on his way out, the road to the top is going to be much more open and fans would have been hopeful that Rollins is able to enter that conversation. If this is anything to go by, though, then Rollins could be waiting a while before he reaches that stage again.
What do you make of the two feuds WWE has lined up for Seth Rollins in 2018? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.