WWE heavyweight champion Roman Reigns admits he needs to defeat Seth Rollins to legitimise his title run
Former Shield team-mates clash for the world championship crown at Money in the Bank on June 19 in Las Vegas
WWE heavyweight champion Roman Reigns admits he has to beat Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank to legitimise his title run.
Rollins and Reigns made up the The Shield with Dean Ambrose before The Architect turned on his so-called brothers with a steel chair attack and joined The Authority.
The treacherous turn eventually helped Rollins land the belt until a freak accident in a match with Kane in Ireland in November left him requiring serious knee surgery and robbed him of the honour.
After 200 days on the sidelines, Rollins made his comeback at Extreme Rules, attacking his former team-mate to set up their clash on June 19 at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.
Rollins still considers himself the linear champion and Reigns – who was once his partner as tag-team champions – has revealed the clash is as much about proving his credentials as the No1 as getting revenge.
Reigns said: “When we were in The Shield I was known as the muscle and the powerhouse and Seth had the name he loves; the Architect.
“If you ask him he created Pop Tarts and sliced bread – he thinks he’s the smartest guy on earth.
“We all played our roll in The Shield, what made us different is that we all enjoyed being team-mates.
“Our drive to be the best makes us very similar, I think that competitive nature is what made us friends over time - until he pulled the trigger.
“I felt completely betrayed. That’s how tight and how good we were.
“Seth Rollins made the choice to break up the shield. I came into the WWE with brothers but now I stand alone.”
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Rollins stunned doctors by taking less than seven months to recover from the ruptured ligaments injury that could have ended his wrestling career.
But Reigns expects his former friend to return to the main-event roster even quicker and stronger than before his leg buckled under the weight of The Demon.
And, when he defeats the new and improved challenger, Reigns believes he will finally be able to call himself the official king of the WWE.
He said: “Seth can think that he is the rightful champ all he wants but I am better than him and I won’t be fulfilled by this title reign until I beat him.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, that big-fight feel is in the air.
“I am expecting an even better Seth Rollins and I am going to beat an even better Seth Rollins.”