WWE: Seth Rollins aims to defeat Brock Lesnar and John Cena at Royal Rumble 'by hook or by crook' and face Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania

Rollins says he will walk out the winner of his triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and knows who he's like to see win the Royal Rumble

Rollins' biggest accolade to date was his victory at Money in the Bank (WWE)

2014 in WWE was one of the most newsworthy years in the history of the company. After over a decade long absence, The Ultimate Warrior returned to the company and was inducted into the Hall of Fame, before shockingly passing away just days later. At Wrestlemania 30, the undefeated streak of The Undertaker was snapped by Brock Lesnar who went on to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

The WWE Network, now available in the United Kingdom was launched, NXT launched itself as a reputable brand of its own, and Daniel Bryan became one of the most beloved Superstars of all time.

Then, on the June 2nd edition of Raw, Seth Rollins turned on his Shield faction, to begin a singles run which has since established him as one of the top competitors in the entire company.

Ahead of his triple threat match for the WWE title taking place this Sunday at the Royal Rumble against John Cena and the Champion Brock Lesnar, The Independent spoke with Rollins about his expectations for the bout, and whether he thinks he will walk out as the winner.

“It is certainly in my plan to walk out as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion by hook or by crook. Things don’t always go according to plan, but I’ve been pretty successful in putting my plans into action over the course of the last few months, so yes I’m extremely excited for this opportunity.

“If you look at the list of guys who have had matches with Brock Lesnar since his return it’s pretty small to say the least, so to be in that company is quite rewarding personally and professionally. To be on the marquee with Cena and Lesnar in such a high profile PPV is pretty awesome for me as well, and another feather in my cap for what has already been an incredible run over the last year.”

The Royal Rumble is the first PPV that UK WWE fans can watch live on the WWE Network, and Rollins shared his enthusiasm for being able to showcase his talents to a new audience, and the general appeal of the innovative creation.

“I’m stoked that it’s finally made its way to the UK, and I’m stoked to be headlining the first PPV the UK fans will have on the Network, it should be pretty awesome moving forward. The thing about the Network is that it’s so vast, it’s so deep and there is so much content that it’s nearly impossible to get through it all. I know at our shows it’s always on in the background, guys will have it on their iPads or their laptops. You’ll catch a Demolition match, or a Jeff Jarrett vs Razor Ramon match from the Royal Rumble.

“It’s always cool to have that at your fingertips. Generations that come into this fandom are not going to quite understand how amazing it is to have all of this content at their disposal. They can search anything and have it, whereas when I was growing up I had to scrounge the videotape store just to find one Wrestlemania IV tape that I could watch.”

Rollins endured a long feud with Dean Ambrose after the break-up of the Shield (WWE)

The addition of Rollins into the title match at the Royal Rumble was yet another example of the way he is seen within the company. Since the beginning of his solo run, he has consistently been positioned at the top of the card, and has engaged in entertaining feuds with the likes of Dean Ambrose and John Cena. Being trusted to be involved in storylines with huge talents including Brock Lesnar and Sting is clearly something the ambitious Superstar is proud of.

“It’s great, it’s obviously very rewarding for me to be in that situation with guys like that, but I’ve also proven time and time again that I’m a guy that comes in every time when needed, when people get hurt or things don’t go as planned and when there’s a big moment and they need someone to step up, I’m the guy and I think they’ve noticed that over the past year that I’ve always found myself in these situations. Maybe it’s good timing, great positioning and all of that, but at the end of the day I’ve delivered every single time, and I look forward to doing that this Sunday at the Royal Rumble.”

If Rollins wins the WWE Championship he will go onto the face the winner of the Royal Rumble in the main event of Wrestlemania, and when asked on who he hopes that will be, there was one name which stood out above all others.

Rollins is yet to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase (WWE)

“For this year, it’s an interesting situation, as there are so many possibilities. I wouldn’t mind Daniel Bryan winning the Royal Rumble and going on to face me for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, because if you look at what Daniel Bryan did last year, what a tremendous story and if he does it again this year, I’d like to be the guy who stomps out his dream. I think that’s a great story, so it would be very interesting for me to be in that situation in the Wrestlemania main event with Daniel Bryan, considering we’ve had matches in much smaller venues in front of much less people.

Away from the ring, Rollins also helps train the stars of the future, having set up his own wrestling school which is already attracting rave reviews.

“You can find all of the information you need at BlackAndBraveWrestling.com, myself and my training partner Marek Brave started up a wrestling school in my hometown in Iowa, we just wanted to give people in the Midwest, or all across the world the opportunity to come and cultivate their dream.

“So far it’s going great, we’ve just started our second class with nine incredible students that I think all have an opportunity to make a mark on our industry in a unique way, and I think it’s been a great thing for the community and really it’s giving some life back to the independent scene here in the Midwest.

“There are not a lot of reputable schools where you can go and do things the right way, and to cut your teeth in this industry out there besides the WWE Performance Center which is very difficult to get into obviously.”

Rollins delivers his trademark finisher, a curb stomp, to Dolph Ziggler (WWE)

The WWE Performance Center is the home for all talent involved in WWE’s NXT program, and as the very first NXT Champion, Rollins is impressed by the current crop of talent which currently competes in Florida.

“I watched the last Takeover special, R-Evolution, and I thought it was pretty awesome. It’s really cool to see guys I’m familiar with, my friends being shown as the stars that they are. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami, these guys are people that I’ve worked with in different parts of the world or that I’ve watched and respected for years, so it’s great to see them get to enjoy that atmosphere that is NXT, and get to really capitalise on what NXT has to offer. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys on the main roster with me headlining PPVs, it’s a really cool time to be a part of our crew.”

Considering his status in WWE now, it’s hard to believe that Rollins has only been on the main roster since November 2012, but in that time he has competed in some of the most captivating matches in the history of the company.

Seth Rollins enjoyed his breakthrough year in 2014 (WWE)

His answer to which match of his he would recommend to UK fans watching the Network for the first time was perhaps a surprising one.

“My Hell In A Cell match with Dean Ambrose, and it may not be the most technically sound match, or the craziest Cell match in history, but when you look at that match, you look at two guys who maybe were never supposed to be in the main event of a WWE show, we’re under thirty years old and there is another Hell in A Cell match on the show with Randy Orton vs John Cena, and they are not the main event of the show.

“Me and Dean Ambrose were the main event, and I think it’s important not just for me, but the future of WWE, so for me that’s the match which stands out the most in my two and a half years in the company.”

After the success he has enjoyed already, who could bet against 2015 being the year of Seth Rollins?

Subscribe to the WWE Network for just £9.99 a month to watch the Royal Rumble live at no additional cost on Sunday night, January 25th at 1am. You can also see the Royal Rumble live on Sky Sports Box Office.