Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins makes his way to the ring during the WWE World Cup Quarterfinal match as part of as part of the WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Nov. 2, 2018. FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

Seth Rollins had a good 2018 in terms of performances, but he was never the main attraction when it came to the major titles with Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman occupying the top spots in World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) "Monday Night Raw" brand.

The 32-year-old had stints as the intercontinental champion and the Raw tag-team champion during the course of the year, but was never part of the main storyline barring a short stint when the Shield reunited to cause mayhem in the division.

But 2019 has started off with a bang for Rollins after the WWE superstar went on to claim victory in the 30-man Royal Rumble match Sunday and book himself a ticket to the main event at WrestleMania, WWE’s flagship pay-per-view event in April.

Rollins was not in the running a few months back to win the Royal Rumble or headline WrestleMania, but a sudden turn of events has seen him being pushed back into the forefront of the company.

According to Wrestle Votes, the main reason for Rollins returning to the spotlight is Paul Levesque, otherwise popularly known as Triple H, who is the vice-president of talent, live events and the founder of NXT. He is said to be behind the former WWE champion’s push to the top step of the ladder.

“Catching up on RAW as we were in the air last night, but the emotion in the opening segment between Rollins & Triple H was real. This renewed Rollins push, and the decision for him to main event Mania was very much Hunters call. The Game is going 'all in' w/ Rollins,” Wrestle Votes wrote on their official Twitter account.

Rollins and Triple H’s relationship is long-standing, one that has seen them go as mentor and student to arch-rivals and now back to being respected colleagues. Rollins is one of the top graduates to come into WWE from NXT and the vice-president of talent is said to be keen to push him back into the limelight.

And another reason for Rollins’ sudden push is said to be due to former Shield brother Reigns’ absence. He took an indefinite leave of absence from WWE after revealing that he is battling leukemia, which, according to Comic Book, prompted WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon to seek out another face to lead the brand, which was when the push for Rollins to take center stage began.

Meanwhile, the fate of the third former Shield member Dean Ambrose has been confirmed after reports emerged Monday that he will leave WWE when his contract expires in April. It was confirmed by the company on Tuesday that Ambrose will indeed be leaving despite few sources suggesting he could change his mind at the last minute.

"Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good) will not be renewing his contract with WWE when it expires in April. We are grateful and appreciative of all that Dean has given to WWE and our fans. We wish him well and hope that one day Dean will return to WWE,” the pro-wrestling company said via a statement, as quoted on Wrestling Inc.

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