Seth Rollins WWE Return Plans

Seth Rollins has not been seen on WWE programming since losing to Roman Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam 2026 Night Two.

With the former Shield brothers closing the book on their rivalry, Rollins should be seeking a fresh change of direction when he eventually makes his way back to TV.

Here are potential plans for Seth Rollins’ WWE return.

Enters 2026 Money In The Bank Ladder Match

At this point in time, it feels as if WWE is keeping Seth Rollins off TV due to them not having anything pressing for him to do.

His rivalry with Reigns is over and he’s already fought against The Vision ad nauseam, so there’s little in the way of obvious creative plans for him, on Raw at least.

One easy option for WWE, and one that seems the most likely at this point of time, is holding off on Rollins’ return until the build to Money in the Bank 2026 on October 10.

Chasing a world title opportunity doesn’t require too much in the way of storyline explanation, but given that Rollins won the briefcase and successfully cashed it in a year ago, he will have the extra motivation to go back-to-back, something that hasn’t been done since CM Punk in 2008 and 2009.

Help Oba Femi Against The Vision

As mentioned, Seth Rollins and The Vision’s problems should probably not be revisited, as this has dominated almost the entirety of Seth’s 2026 thus far.

However, it’s hard to ignore that Oba Femi is currently vastly outnumbered by the group heading into his match with Bron Breakker at Sunday Night’s Main Event on September 6.

Sure, he’s Oba Femi, so a numbers disadvantage should probably just be thrown out the window. But, unless WWE want to really make Breakker, Austin Theory and the potentially returning Bronson Reed look like complete chumps, then they should book them as a credible threat to ‘The Ruler.’

If Femi needs some backup then Rollins may be the best choice given his lack of direction on TV right now. Rollins and Femi have teamed up in dark matches against The Vision already this year, so perhaps WWE could bring that same formula to Raw in the coming weeks.

Move To Friday Night SmackDown

When looking at the rosters of WWE Raw and SmackDown, it’s clear to see that the blue brand is the more stacked when it comes to main event level male talent.

With Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, GUNTHER and Finn Balor all vying for CM Punk’s Undisputed WWE Championship, it would probably be unwise for Seth Rollins to then be added to the mix as well.

However, with Rollins and Reigns’ rivalry done and dusted, Rollins is left in a somewhat awkward spot on Raw, meaning that a move to SmackDown may not be the worst idea after all.

While few WWE fans will be keen for the company to revisit Rollins and Punk’s feud this soon either, ‘The Visionary’ moving to SmackDown doesn’t necessarily mean that WWE need to go in that direction. Rollins vs. Rhodes in a full scale rivalry hasn’t been done since 2022, and it’s been even longer since he tied up with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. All of these would be decent options for the former World Heavyweight Champion should he become a regular on Friday nights.

Feud With Returning Drew McIntyre

Given that he’s been off television since WrestleMania 42, it’s easy to forget that the already strong SmackDown roster still has Drew McIntyre to be added back to it once he returns.

‘The Scottish Warrior’ has been off building upon his burgeoning acting career with two roles alongside Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe, but fans will be anticipating a return to WWE in the near future.

Unless WWE has plans to reintegrate McIntyre into the Undisputed WWE Title picture off the bat, McIntyre may be better off moving back to Raw, where he can look for revenge against The Bloodline for their wrongdoings against him over the years.

Before that however, McIntyre and Rollins could potentially pick back up their own feud from 2023/2024, which feels long enough ago now where it will feel fresh.

Challenge Chad Gable For The Intercontinental Title

It has been almost four years since Seth Rollins competed for anything other than world championship gold in WWE, but given his lack of options on Raw, now may be the best time to have him re-enter the mid card title scene.

Chad Gable is riding high as the new Intercontinental Champion, and as of yet, nobody has stepped up and solidified themselves as his first true rival for the gold. Whether as a fellow babyface, or a heel, Seth Rollins could be exactly that.

A Rollins vs. Gable feud has classic matches written all over it, and the Minnesota native picking up wins over the former World Heavyweight Champion would be a great deal for his stock in the company.

Gable should be viewed as someone who could potentially be elevated beyond the mid card at some point, and if he proves he belongs with talent like Rollins it will certainly help his case.

Screws LA Knight Out Of The World Heavyweight Championship

Roman Reigns’ current WWE World Heavyweight Title run has separated itself from his 1316 reign between 2020-2024 in one key way: ‘The OTC’ has not had to rely upon help from The Bloodline to get the job done and win matches.

None of Reigns title defenses have required outside interference, and his expected match with LA Knight will likely be no different. Knight’s issues with Reigns stem from the fact that he was screwed over by The Bloodline in his last title shot against him back at Crown Jewel 2023, so it feels like the point of their rematch is to have things go differently this time around.

Or that’s what fans will be expecting. Sure, The Bloodline may not interfere, but what if someone else did?

Seth Rollins acting of his own accord and costing LA Knight (or helping Roman Reigns, whatever way WWE want to take it), would turn ‘The Visionary’ heel once more and save Knight from what could be a damaging clean loss.

To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!