By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

Seth Rollins has finally made it to WWE television with the Shield after spending two years in developmental. If you’ve never seen Rollins before, his work on the independent scene, most notably in ROH, showed he has the potential to be a big player in WWE for years to come.

Many people that watched Rollins (Tyler Black in ROH) on the independent scene wondered why it took so long for him to get to the main roster after WWE signed him in the fall of 2010. In Ring of Honor, he showed the ability to put on fantastic matches and engage a crowd.

Rollins’s biggest strength during his time on the independent scene was to gain sympathy from the crowd with his selling. When he began his run as a face in ROH, his selling and facial expressions reminded me a lot of Shawn Michaels. In that category, he’s way ahead of the curve. Rollins quickly got the ROH fan base behind him after debuting in 2007 and displayed the ability to not only engage in technical combat on the mat, but he is also able to do some impressive high-flying as well.

Rollins’s versatility as a performer in the ring may go a long way in establishing him in the eyes of WWE management in the long-term. He can do so many different things in the ring and isn’t a one-dimensional performer, which should make it easy for him to adapt to the WWE style.

One of the things that might have held Rollins back from making the main roster sooner than he did is that he isn’t strong with his promos. In ROH, he did some good UFC style promos to build his matches while he was headlining as champion, but he’s not a natural on the mic.

You can see the difference between Rollins and Dean Ambrose if you watch their recent pre-taped promo on Raw. Ambrose is a natural talker that can take the material given to him by WWE and make it seem like he’s not being scripted. On the other hand, Rollins showed in his recent backstage promo on Raw that he isn’t naturally fitting into his WWE persona. His promo seemed a little forced and felt scripted.

Rollins will always excel when he plays a dark brooding heel or a face with an edge to him. He has an advantage in WWE because the way he presents himself is different from other performers. The edge to his character stands out and whether he’s a face or a heel, Rollins finds a way to connect with his audience.

Rollins’s long-term potential as a top-tier player in WWE will likely rest on his ability to improve on his promos. He never showed the potential to be the type of babyface that will connect with the younger WWE demographic during his time on the independents, but he could become a big force as top-tier heel in the future.

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