By Ella Jay
Oct. 2, 2025 10:40 pm EST
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
With a half-dozen world titles to his name, Seth Rollins is widely considered to be a top star in WWE. Whether or not he’s ever been presented as the face of WWE, however, recently came up for debate on “Busted Open Radio.”
In the eyes of WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, one missing element is preventing Rollins from being at the highest tier of WWE, where names such as Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk reside.
“I always go back to what it truly has to do with, and this is old school 101, emotional connection to an audience,” Ray said. “People genuinely love Cody. Children love Cody, thus, the parents love Cody. Roman has a god-like aura to him. You feel like you are amongst royalty when Roman comes out. Plus, he has that Samoan heritage and bloodline, which we respect so much in wrestling, but respect even more in the WWE. Punk, the consummate rebel, the guy who has always been the voice of the voiceless and the people’s guy. All three of those guys have a unique emotional connection.
“Emotion, that’s all this f***ing business is about,” Ray continued, “the emotional manipulation of the fan base and how you can get them to love you or hate you anymore. That’s it. Seth doesn’t have that level of emotion yet, and he’s been around for a long time.”
The Answer Lies In The ‘Microscopic’ Nuances
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To further illustrate the tiny nuances of human emotion as it relates to wrestling, Ray asked his co-host Dave LaGreca whether Rhodes, Reigns, Punk, and Rollins appeared as actual pro wrestlers or as if they were merely portraying one. LaGreca identified the former three as legitimate pro wrestlers with ease. When trying to classify Rollins, however, LaGreca admittedly had some reservations. According to Ray, therein lies the subtle difference.
“You’re not as quick to say ‘is pro wrestler’ as you were the other three,” Ray said. “That is the microscopic nuance of the emotional connection to Seth, where when you see the get-ups every week, it’s almost like he’s trying so hard. Forget about how I feel about the suit, Cody wears a suit on the beach. Roman looks like he could be walking into a gym or the grocery store, and Punk looks like your regular everyday guy. They could be wearing those clothes anywhere. Seth is putting on this garb to go stand in the middle of the ring. He’s putting Seth Rollins on on Monday night and taking it off on Tuesday morning.”
In recent weeks, Rollins, the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion, has taken issue with fans labeling Rhodes, the current Undisputed WWE Champion, as the “quarterback” of WWE — something Rollins rather believes himself to be. At WWE Crown Jewel, Rollins aims to prove that for good when he takes on Rhodes in a champion vs. champion match, with the winner earning the Crown Jewel Championship and a commemorative ring. Rhodes collected his first ring last year when he defeated “The Ring General” GUNTHER at the same event.
Rollins claimed his World Heavyweight Championship at WWE SummerSlam when he successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk. Rhodes regained his respective title the following night by besting John Cena, who was also once viewed as the face of WWE.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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