Every Seth Rollins World Heavyweight Championship Title Defense

At Night of Champions 2023 in Saudi Arabia, Seth Rollins defeated AJ Styles to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins holding a World Championship was long overdue, as it was the first time he held a World Championship since he dropped the Universal Championship to the late Bray Wyatt at Crown Jewel 2019. Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship reign has been superb, and The Visionary has held the gold for 163 days and counting. His championship reign is historic as it’s the longest title reign for a new inaugural World Champion.

Rollins has been a fighting World Champion, as he has defended the World Heavyweight Championship at every PLE since he’s held the title. Some wrestlers have had multiple chances to beat Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and have failed to get the job done. Furthermore, some of Rollins’ title defenses were solid matches, but some were underwhelming.

UPDATE: 2024/04/17 11:30 EST BY TEVON KING

Seth Rollins’ 316-day World Heavyweight Championship reign was excellent, and the curtain finally came down on his title run on Night Two of WrestleMania 40 when Drew McIntyre defeated him for the title. Rollins was the inaugural titleholder, and he did a superb job of being a fighting champion. The Visionary worked through injuries during his World Heavyweight Championship reign and the four-time WWE World Champion faced an array of challengers. Rollins is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, and there is a strong chance that he will win the World Heavyweight Championship again.

12 Seth Rollins Vs. Jinder Mahal – Raw (1/15/24)

January 15, 2024 – North Little Rock, Arkansas (Simmons Bank Arena)

Seth Rollins and Jinder Mahal slugged it out over the World Heavyweight Championship with the Modern-Day Maharaja looking to become a two-time WWE World Champion. Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest made his presence felt at the top of the ramp.

This was Rollins’ weakest World Heavyweight Championship title defense as the match was subpar and at a slow pace. Rollins executed the Pedigree, but he was selling his knee throughout. Drew McIntyre interfered by preventing Priest from cashing in his Money in the Bank contract. Mahal executed the Khallas making fans think like at Backlash 2017 that he was going to upset the odds again. Ultimately, Rollins regrouped and he countered the Khallas and connected with the Stomp in a successful title defense.

11 Seth Rollins Vs. Finn Balor – Money In The Bank 2023

July 1, 2023 – London, England (The 02 Arena)

Seth Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Finn Balor across the pond in London, England at Money in the Bank 2023. Rollins and Balor were capable of producing much better, and it felt like the match didn’t get out of first gear. Balor targeted Rollins’ ribs throughout the match.

The new Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest interfered, and he was at ringside. Fans chanted “cash in” and Priest had a seat at ringside. Rollins was distracted and Balor hit the Coup De Grace on Rollins’ ribs on the outside and he executed another. However, Balor looked at his Judgment Day stablemate and he was distracted by Rollins retaining the gold, but the finish felt anticlimactic.

10 Seth Rollins Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Payback 2023

September 2, 2023 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PPG Paints Arena)

Payback 2023 was the first premium live event that the World Heavyweight Championship went on last, and it was the first time that Shinsuke Nakamura main evented a PLE in a singles match. Rollins’ back troubles were highlighted throughout, and the King of Strong Style targeted it.

The crowd was quiet for parts of the match and this bout went on longer than necessary at 25 minutes. Rollins executed the Pedigree on Nakamura in the match, and the Visionary executed the Stomp out of nowhere which was enough to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

9 Seth Rollins Vs. Bron Breakker – NXT Gold Rush Week One (6/20/23)

June 20, 2023 – Orlando, Florida (WWE Performance Center)

Seth Rollins was the first-ever NXT Champion and he was back in NXT on week one of NXT Gold Rush on June 20, 2023. Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Bron Breakker, and this was the biggest match of Breakker’s career to date.

Rollins’ ribs were taped up and Breakker was in control in the early stages. Rollins put Breakker through the broadcast table with a frog splash. Their match was competitive, and it was a good showing for Breakker who overpowered Rollins, but Rollins weathered the storm and retained the World Heavyweight Championship with a couple of Curb Stomps.

8 Seth Rollins Vs. Damian Priest – Raw (6/5/23)

June 5, 2023 – Hartford, Connecticut (XL Center)

Nine days after winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions, Seth Rollins defended the gold for the first time against Damian Priest in the main event of the June 5, 2023 edition of Raw. This was the first World Championship title match to take place on Raw since November 2021. This was a fantastic back-and-forth match, and the Judgment Day’s Priest wanted to bring the title home to his faction.

Priest showcased his resiliency as he kicked out of Rollins’ Pedigree. Moreover, Rollins nailed Priest with the buckle bomb onto the barricade. Finn Balor interfered and Rollins clocked him with a superkick. Furthermore, Priest executed South of Heaven but Rollins kicked out. Priest and Balor were arguing and Rollins countered the Razor’s Edge, and he finished off Priest with the Stomp ensuring that his World Heavyweight Championship reign wasn’t going to end at the first hurdle.

7 Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre – WrestleMania 40 Sunday

April 7, 2024 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lincoln Financial Field)

Drew McIntyre had his third attempt at Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship in the curtain-raiser on WrestleMania 40 Sunday. The Scottish Psychopath had the slight advantage as Rollins was involved in the epic tag team match that closed out WrestleMania 40 Saturday.

CM Punk undertook commentary duties as a guest, and it was a fast start with McIntyre looking to finish off Rollins with the Claymore Kick in the early exchanges. Rollins was unable to keep McIntyre down with the Stomp and Pedigree, but McIntyre ended Rollins’ 316-day World Heavyweight Championship reign with the Claymore Kick to become a three-time WWE World Champion, and finally winning a World Title in front of live fans.

6 Seth Rollins Vs. Sami Zayn – Raw (11/6/23)

November 6, 2023 – Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (Mohegan Sun At Casey Plaza)

Seth Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Sami Zayn on the November 6, 2023 edition of Raw. This was the first World Heavyweight Championship match to take place on Raw in five months. This was a decent match that lasted 20 minutes.

Rollins attempted the Pedigree on the apron but Zayn countered it. However, Rollins executed the Pedigree but Zayn managed to kick out. Nevertheless, Zayn cinched in the Liontamer and Rollins retained the World Heavyweight Championship with a roll-up.

5 Seth Rollins Vs. Jey Uso – Raw (12/4/23)

December 4, 2023 – Albany, New York (MVP Arena)

Seth Rollins had his final World Heavyweight Championship title defense of 2023 when he went head-to-head with “Main Event” Jey Uso. Jey was seeking his first singles championship on the main roster, and this match did not fail to disappoint.

There were several “Yeet” chants with the crowd firmly behind Uso. Their championship match was competitive, and Rollins was resilient throughout. He kicked out of two of Jey’s Uso splashes and Rollins saw off Jey with his patented Stomp to remain as World Heavyweight Champion.

4 Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre – Day 1 2024

January 1, 2024 – San Diego, California (Pechanga Arena)

Drew McIntyre was desperate to win his third WWE World Championship, and his intent was known to Seth Rollins. The Scottish Psychopath tried everything in his power including the Future Shock DDT on Rollins, but the reigning World Heavyweight Champion kicked out.

Rollins hit the Pedigree on McIntyre, but he kicked out. Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and Dominik Mysterio was in tow. Priest clocked Rollins with the Claymore, but McIntyre halted Priest’s Money in the Bank cash-in attempts by nailing him with the Claymore. Rollins narrowly retained his title after he executed the Pedigree on the broadcast table, and he followed it up with a Stomp to see off McIntyre handing him his 12th championship defeat in succession. The match was a solid effort from both competitors which added more fuel to Drew McIntyre’s heel turn.

3 Seth Rollins Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – Fastlane 2023

October 7, 2023 – Indianapolis, Indiana (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)

Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura once again headlined a WWE premium live event at Fastlane 2023, and this time they clashed in a Last Man Standing match with Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship up for grabs. The King of Strong Style once again targeted Rollins’ back and Nakamura used nunchucks to inflict punishment on the defending champion.

This was a physical battle and Rollins crashed and burned through the broadcast table as Nakamura spat mist in Rollins’ face and he pushed him off the ladder. The action moved into the crowd, and Rollins put Nakamura through the table with a Falcon Arrow, and despite Nakamura getting up he collapsed to the ground with the Visionary seeing off Nakamura in a successful World Heavyweight Championship title defense.

2 Seth Rollins Vs. Drew McIntyre – Crown Jewel 2023

November 4, 2023 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Mohammed Abdu Arena)

Unquestionably, the best match of Crown Jewel 2023 was Seth Rollins’ World Heavyweight Championship title defense against Drew McIntyre. This was the curtain-raiser in the battle of two former two-time WWE Champions going head-to-head. The atmosphere was electric, and the crowd was backing the Scottish Psychopath to get the job done.

This World Heavyweight Championship title match had fans on the edge of their seats. Both men had a refusal to stay down and they kicked out of each other’s respective finishers. It was a valiant effort from McIntyre, but Rollins continued his World Heavyweight Championship run after he put McIntyre away with the Stomp.

1 Seth Rollins Vs. Finn Balor – SummerSlam 2023

August 5, 2023 – Detroit Michigan (Ford Field)

It was clear that Seth Rollins and Finn Balor were going to have a rematch as the finish in their World Heavyweight Championship match at Money in the Bank 2023 was anticlimactic. They faced off at SummerSlam 2023, and this match was seven years in the making as it was a rematch from their SummerSlam 2016 encounter which Balor prevailed in to become the inaugural Universal Champion.

Balor had “seven” painted on his upper right shoulder and Rollins’ entrance jacket was similar to the one he wore in their Universal Championship clash at SummerSlam 2016. This match was fast-paced, and Balor executed a buckle bomb on Rollins on the barricade which was a callback from their match at SummerSlam 2016. Señor Money in the Bank Damian Priest interfered with his Money in the Bank briefcase in tow. Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio also interfered to give their Judgment Day stablemate a helping hand. Nevertheless, Balor executed the Coup De Grace but Rollins kicked out. The fans were red hot for this match, and it did not fail to disappoint. Rollins executed the Stomp on Priest’s Money in the Bank briefcase and he retained the World Heavyweight Championship with Priest cutting a disconsolate figure.