Welcome to another edition of
OFF-TRACK with A-TRAIN
where I over-analyze game trailers
in this episode
SETH ROLLINS FINALLY CEMENTS HIS BABYFACE TURN
BY BREAKING INTO A BUILDING,
ASSAULTING A SECURITY GUARD,
DESTROYING COUNTLESS ITEMS OF PRICELESS MEMORABILIA
AND THEN BURNING THE WHOLE DAMN THING TO THE GROUND
WITH THE SECURITY GUARD MAYBE STILL INSIDE
Seth Rollins is the new coverboy for WWE 2K18, and as such, he is in the new trailer.
And HOLY JESUS is it full of arson.
Seriously, watch the trailer up at the top of the page, or better yet, right here:
A synopsis:
A hooded and masked figure breaks into this warehouse and spray paints over the security camera, which causes the security guard to take a break from watching an episode of WWE Story Time on the Award-Winning WWE Network and go investigate. The guard walks in on Ric Flair's robe already on fire, then gets blindsided by the masked assailant and laid out unconscious.
Then this criminal systematically destroys all the stuff in the WWE Archives, from The Million Dollar Belt to Mr. Socko to the Undertaker's Hat, Coat, and Casket. Triple H's Skull King mask actually begins to MELT from the nuclear heat this unknown heel is getting. The masked man slowly walks up to a statue of Andre The Giant and takes a moment to touch hands with the statue, contemplating what he is about to do. And what he is about to do is DECAPITATE ANDRE THE GIANT WITH STING'S BLACK BASEBALL BAT.
Finally, with no turning back now, the masked man runs Steve Austin's ATV off a third floor landing, and when it lands it bursts into flames. The warehouse is fully on fire at this point, and the security guard comes to and pulls the fire alarm. It is only now, after the alarm is pulled, that the masked man decides to leave. For all he knew, that security guard had already succumbed to smoke inhalation or third-degree burns. The masked man didn't care if that security guard lived or died.
So, sufficiently spooked by the fire alarm, the masked man goes outside and does the "drop a lit Zippo on a trail of gasoline leading back to the building" thing. He then pulls off his mask to reveal that *gasp* IT'S SETH ROLLINS!
Cool trailer.
Legitimately well done. Told a story, nice visuals.
But why is the bad guy in this story Seth Rollins?
(And don't waste your time in telling me he's not a bad guy, he burned down a warehouse full of priceless memorabilia with a dude still inside (for all he knew). He's a bad guy.)
This would have worked so much better in the context of last year's Seth Rollins. But now, fully turned babyface? It doesn't make sense.
UNLESS.
They're giving him a new gimmick.
And that gimmick is this:
SETH ROLLINS: EVIL BATMAN
I'd definitely be down for that. Some kind of vigilante character who wants to burn down the system from the inside. You know, that thing that Bray Wyatt keeps saying he's gonna do, only they keep booking him to lose?
WAIT A MINUTE WHAT IF WHAT IF WHAT IF.
Hear me out on this one.
Last year's coverboy for WWE 2K17 was Brock Lesnar and the pre-order bonus was Goldberg. They ended up building a whole PPV around it, with the "Fantasy Warfare Just Got Real" thing that we all hated. It wound up becoming a months-long feud.
So we all kind of expect a renewed push for Seth Rollins as the 2K18 coverboy.
Seth is currently feuding with Bray Wyatt.
What if they did something where Bray lost the match (obviously that's what they're going to do, but what if they also did something else) and during the match or the build up to it or the fallout from it, Bray gave Seth a post-hypnotic suggestion or something, so that Bray could control him at certain times, but only sparingly, leading to us getting two different Seths.
One good, one evil.
One under his own control, and one controlled by Bray Wyatt.
And the one that's controlled by Bray Wyatt, THAT's the guy who broke into the WWE Archives and torched the place.
And good Seth Rollins wakes up later smelling vaguely of smoke and has no idea what happened.
And over several months, Rollins is able to fight back and break the spell, and finally, truly defeats the spell?
That could be something, huh?
Nah, you're right, they're just gonna have Seth beat Bray and move on to feud with somebody else, and then Bray will cut another promo about how that loss didn't matter because losses only matter to mortal men and he is not a mortal man, he is a god.
That's way more likely.
Still, I really like my idea of SETH ROLLINS: EVIL BATMAN (who might also be under mind control).
