Seth Rollins was on top of the world. He took a gamble and it paid off in a big way, resulting in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, as it has a funny way of doing, life eventually brought him crashing back down to reality with a debilitating knee injury. In the blink of an eye, all he had worked and sacrificed for is gone. Now, three words consume Rollins’ life: Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim.
WWE #3 (BOOM! Studios)
The hero’s journey continues (though, come to think of it, it’s kind of strange that for the first story arc of WWE’s comic book, they decide to focus on one of the most despicable heels in recent memory) in issue #3, but it the journey doesn’t take place in the ring or even backstage–it takes place in Seth Rollins’ living room, as he recovers from major knee surgery after a fluke injury took him off the shelf. And though he sees Rollins as his protege and the future of the company, WWE COO Triple H must take the WWE Championship from Rollins; it’s what’s best for business after all. This understandably puts Rollins in a dark place–thankfully, he gets a visit from some friends who offer the Power of Positivity (though, boy, do I see Xavier Woods in a whole different light after the…events of last week. Weird timing for him to be introduced into WWE‘s story now).
One of the best things to come out of Rollins’ WWE Championship run a couple years ago was the New Day’s infatuation with him and Rollins’ begrudging placation of the world famous two time champs. Seriously, watching New Day rock out to Rollins’ theme will always get a chuckle out of me:
It’s great to see this unique alliance shift from funny easter egg to mainline continuity through the comic book, even if it does seem a little out of left field when the rest of the series thus far is taken into consideration. Still, the comic was feeling a little linear and monotone, so who better (who?! who?! who?!) to turn that frown upside down than the New Day, baybeeeeee!
Writer Dennis Hopeless is able to get a whole lot more mileage out of Rollins by having him interact with characters so polar opposite to him, and it’s a clever way to deal with the unavoidable fact that while Rollins was recovering from legitimate knee surgery in the time frame this comic takes place, he was not on television or involved in any storylines at all, making it impossible for the comic to draw from the WWE product for this part of the story. It also allows for some intrigue and mystery in the story for wrestling fans who have already seen the story up to this point play out on television years ago. I for one am thoroughly interested in what the New Day’s role in Rollins’ recovery is, and how everything shakes out in the issues to come.
Artist Serg Acuña continues to render WWE Superstars faithfully to their real life counterparts, and while there isn’t a whole lot of action this time around, the emotive characters are more than enough to keep your interest–especially when said characters are as bonkers as the New Day. And don’t worry, Booty-Os are here in all their glory.
Is It Good?
While the arc’s new story direction feels a little out of left field, it’s a welcome change of pace that deviates from what we saw on television when this arc’s storyline played out on Raw, adding some needed suspense. Wrestling fans will get more out of this issue than usual, and fans of the series thus far should continue to be thoroughly (sports) entertained.
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