What does it take to be given the moniker Mr. WrestleMania? 

A string of five-star classics? A catalogue of Hall of Fame opponents? A CV of WrestleMania moments to fill an entire highlight reel? All could be argued, and all boxes ticked at several WWE names in the past, but one man has always been regarded as Mr. WrestleMania - The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. 

From his WrestleMania debut in 1989 as one half of The Rockers, right up to his WrestleMania XXVI farewell classic, Michaels carved out a legacy on WWE’s grandest stage. In between there’s been ladder matches, Iron Man sudden deaths and ‘Sweet Chin’ goodbyes and nobody seem to bring it more than good old HBK when WrestleMania came calling. 

Yet, watching the build-up to this year’s ‘Showcase of the Immortals’ another man has yet again been the forefront of WWE TV (at least on Monday nights). A man who’s no stranger to the biggest stage and a man who might be the only one able to drop his WrestleMania resume at the feet of HBK and stake a claim as the real Mr. WrestleMania in WWE. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. 

Watching Rollins slowly descend into despair on Monday Night Raw as the realisation that he doesn’t have a place on this year’s WrestleMania card has been a highlight of this year’s stories leading to Dallas. We’ve seen Seth squander a tag team opportunity, the ‘chance’ to share the ring with Stone Cold Steve Austin and a renew a rivalry with Edge, only to find himself without a dance partner for next weekend’s festivities. Of course, we’re all aware it’s leading to a heavily rumoured meeting with Cody Rhodes, but the ride to get there has been another feather in Rollins’ already impressive WrestleMania cap. 

There’s been a train of thought in recent years that Rollins’ record at SummerSlam has allowed fans and journalists to label him ‘Mr SummerSlam’. His battles against John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Dominik Mysterio and Edge over the years certainly give credence to that claim and it’s something Rollins himself has commented on it in the past. 

I've had a good run at SummerSlam, I must say. It’s a huge event and I’ve been lucky to have some big matches. I loved the event as a child, so to be able to be part of the legacy is very special. I always lace them up extra tight for SummerSlam.

Maybe only Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart could stand alongside Rollins’ SummerSlam achievements, but can Seth stand alongside Hart’s old rival HBK in being the man when it comes to WrestleMania? 

Like Shawn, Rollins’ WrestleMania journey began as part of a team effort. Yet, whereas Michaels opened WrestleMania V in a standalone - yet entertaining contrast in styles - match against The Twin Towers, Seth was part of the most exciting young group of Superstars in the industry. Teaming with Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as The Shield to defeat three former world champions in Sheamus, Randy Orton and Big Show at WrestleMania 29. The Shield would return a year later and chalk up another win, teaming with Kane to beat legendary tag team The New Age Outlaws. 

Two wins in two fun lower-card, albeit high profile tag matches thus far, but it’s when it gets to singles action that Rollins really takes it up a notch or few. Michaels early singles bouts were throwaway undercard bouts against the likes of ‘El Matador’ Tito Santana and Tatanka, such was the make-up of ‘Mania cards at the time. Fast forward two decades and WrestleMania is a different beast, allowing Rollins maiden solo 'Mania moments to be ones that will live with fans forever. 

It's WrestleMania 31 and Rollins is in full Architect heel mode as the new poster boy of The Authority, having turned on his Shield brothers the previous fall. Seth’s first act was in a losing one, suffering a loss in the Californian sunshine to Randy Orton and one the best RKO reversal’s we’ve seen from The Viper. Expertly helped by Rollins, The Viper turned his opponent’s curb stomp into his famous move to win the match - but the best was yet to come for our case study subject. 

The night’s main event was Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, yet it was Rollins who walked out with the belt. Cashing in his money in the bank contract in the main event of WrestleMania in ‘the heist of the century’. Seth hoisting the belt above his head and spinning it around like a helicopter propeller is every bit as iconic as Shawn Michaels clutching the same championship and living out his boyhood dream. Coincidently those moments are more memorable than the match that proceeded them. With Reigns’ and Lesnar’s underrated battled often overlooked for Rollins’ theft and HBK’s triumph coming after a drawn-out Iron Man match with Hart, that labelled as a ‘classic’ more for what it meant than the action inside the ropes. 

The only argument going against Seth Rollins is he’s yet to have a true classic. After missing WrestleMania 32 through a knee injury, he came back strong for a redemption match with Triple H in 2017 and a big win against a big name. Likewise, his WWE Universal Championship win over Brock Lesnar, which opened WrestleMania 35. Ok, maybe it wasn’t a show-stealer, but was another big win over another big name AND another championship collected on the grandest stage - something Michaels only did once. 

Sandwiched in-between those wins was another championship win, defeating Finn Balor and The Miz at WrestleMania 34 for the Intercontinental strap. A match in quality on a par with HBK’s own famous IC title bout at WrestleMania X, as Razor Ramon bested Michaels in the first-ever mainstream WWE ladder match. Granted, of all those matches listed, what’s missing for Rollins is something matching the likes of Shawn’s greatest hits against Kurt Angle, Ric Flair and the two titanic tussles with The Undertaker. 

That is a spot that time can still fill. The Michaels/Undertaker clashes were built as marquee legend vs. legend type affairs between two stars in the twilight of their careers. Something The Visionary is far from right now. They were also matches and angles that stayed within the WrestleMania bubble. Whereas all the previously mentioned Rollins WrestleMania matches, were part of stories that pre-dated the event and then used as plot points to whatever the next step was for Seth going forward. Therefore, his outings with Brock and Hunter maybe don’t match up to HBK and ‘Taker’s battles as one-off showpieces, but their overall meaning covers more ground in WWE’s bigger picture over a calendar year. 

What Seth has already done at WrestleMania, however, is a willingness to ‘be the bad guy’ and put over the babyface when the time is right. Take his last two WrestleMania outings as an example. He lost to both Kevin Owens and Ceasro in consecutive years, in two quality matches and in two bouts that were the right culmination to the story being told - with the good guy going over. Something he’s likely do again in 2022 if and when we finally do see Cody Rhodes as his opponent.  

That is not to say Michaels hasn’t done the same. At WrestleMania XIV he passed the WWE Championship torch to Steve Austin in the Mike Tyson laden main event, but this was in a more time-honoured WrestleMania tradition. A right of passage all champions have to go through at some point, and let’s not forget it was more forced upon him due to the severe back injured he’d sustained at The Royal Rumble. No injury or no passing of a championship torch was forcing Seth to take defeats at WrestleMania 36 and 37, it was just right for the story. 

Let’s not get things twisted. Shawn Michaels showreel at WrestleMania has given him the right to call himself Mr. WrestleMania. And maybe given the pageantry and showmanship of the event running in sync to that of Michaels back catalogue of ‘Mania matches, it makes perfect sense. However, like a WrestleMania engine that drives the brand, everything Rollins has done on the grandest stage of them all has made sense and been a major part of the evenings work. With time on his side to catch-up to the ‘epic’ clashes of Michaels, there’s every reason to call Seth Rollins a modern day and future all-time Mr. WrestleMania. When on the night, he always burns it down.