WWE TURNING SETH ROLLINS: WHY IT'S ALREADY A SUCCESS AND THE MOVES THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY

When Seth Rollins attacked The Shield at the end of last night's Raw, I wrote three words down "Fart in church". As Rollins worked over Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, there was dead silence and it wasn't until it was clear that Rollins was now in the pocket of dastardly Triple H, that the "you sold out" chants began and the boos began ringing down.
That said, in the minutes and hours since, it's been the talk of pro wrestling fans with an insane amount of feedback online.  One thing is for sure: No matter who you were, where you were watching, you had to admit that WWE didn't telegraph that one. There was no true foreshadowing, unlike the teased issues with Dean Ambrose a few months back.
Whether you hated the plot twist and thought it was premature or you loved it and it has you excited about the wars to come, WWE pulled one off without letting the cat out of the bag. Those who were privy to the script have confirmed the turn wasn't even mentioned, keeping things from leaking even at the last minute.
While whether the turn works and how Rollins, the performer, handles this new direction is a story yet to be told, but given the reactions over the last 12 hours, WWE has accomplished one objective - they have fans talking.  That's a success in my book, because no matter what fans are saying, they will tune in to see what happens next.  Keeping them interested will be the hardest part of the job.  WWE can't let the momentum drop if they truly want Rollins to break out as a singles performer.
In order to keep fans talking and to keep Rollins from immediately falling in line as just another Triple H lackey, there are a few things that WWE needs to accomplish and a few things they need to avoid.
The goal from this point on should be to make Rollins a singles star. In my mind, Rollins needs to portray the same character he has always been presented to be - the Hunter, the Hound of Justice.  Sure, he took a payday to work for Triple H again, but hey, wasn't that what The Shield was always about? Justice for whoever employed them?
Perhaps Rollins will be the one to point out that Ambrose and Reigns are the ones who truly lost their way, leading to teased problems between the last two standing.  What if Rollins is now the one pulling the other two apart, knowing they can't trust anyone else or each other?  It's just one possibility.
I've often said that the best heel turn I've ever seen took place in April 1988 in Jim Crockett Promotions when Barry Windham turned on Lex Luger to join The Four Horsemen. When Luger first came to JCP, Windham tried to warn him not to fall in with the Horsemen. When Lex finally broke free of them, the two "best friends" defeated them to become the NWA World Tag Team champions. It was a glorious moment (Clash of Champions I, go check it out on the WWE Network) and it seemed like the heroes of the NWA finally had the Horsemen just where they wanted them.
Until Barry Windham turned on an already bloody and beaten Lex Luger, leaving him dead for the Horsemen to pin and regain the belts. Windham, the consummate babyface, quickly morphed into the black leather glove wearing villain, master of the claw. He had become a Horseman.  No one saw it coming and that made it so much better.
Only when it came time to tell the next chapter, Windham didn't fall in line behind Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. He stood next to them - as an equal, and in time, that quartet become rightfully considered the all time best grouping of the Horsemen.
Case in Point: Seth Rollins can be aligned with Triple H but the last thing he, we, or WWE needs is another heel who starts dressing in a suit, gets a new haircut and acting submissive to The Authority. Rollins has been the hunter. He needs to remain the hunter, not morph into a cowardly heel hiding behind the "power" of the Authority.
Seth Rollins may or may not be the new member of Evolution. That will be revealed in time. He may or may not hit the heights that old "BW" did in the NWA. It's a different era.
But one thing that has not changed is this: if WWE wants this to work, Seth Rollins cannot stand behind Triple H and Randy Orton. He has to be their equal - today and going forward.
Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com.