Based off in-ring ability alone, Seth Rollins has to be considered one of the best in all of WWE at the moment, with his personality and popularity making him that much more of a megastar.

Between winning the men's Royal Rumble match and beating Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35, he's had an outstanding 2019. However, his greatest test has yet to come, because at Money in the Bank on May 19, he'll be defending his title against an equally exceptional athlete in AJ Styles.

The bout is sure to be a barn-burner, but it would be far from the first time that The Architect will have contested a classic match in WWE.

Since making his main roster debut in November 2012, Rollins has been a part of many memorable matches and moments. Regardless of whether he's with The Shield or on his own, he has proved to be among the most skilled Superstars to step between the ropes, with his long list of accomplishments speaking for itself.

With Rollins' anticipated outing against Styles drawing near, let's look back at the matchups that have helped define his WWE career.

In addition to the action being entertaining and the story being stellar, the following fights were an important factor in his rise to superstardom and cemented him as the top-tier talent he is today.

Honorable Mentions

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs. The Bar (SummerSlam 2017)

Rollins severed ties with his Shield brethren in June 2014, and it took years for Dean Ambrose to finally forgive him for his sins.

At 2017's SummerSlam event, they got back on the same page to take out two common enemies in Sheamus and Cesaro.

The lackluster card was highlighted by this hotly contested clash as it kicked off a fun run for Rollins and Ambrose as the Raw tag team champions.

The Shield vs. Evolution (Payback 2014)

The Shield first toppled Evolution at Extreme Rules, but the legendary trio consisting of Triple H, Randy Orton and Batista was hell-bent on avenging that loss at Payback in a hardcore six-man tag team elimination match.

It ended up being a glorified one-sided squash with Rollins, Ambrose and Roman Reigns picking up the biggest win of their collective careers, only to go their separate ways the next night.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose (Money in the Bank 2015)

Evidently, Rollins and Ambrose have waged war both together and against each other more times than one can count.

Their rivalry reached new heights (literally and figuratively) at Money in the Bank 2015 when they fought for Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a main event ladder match.

Both men had strong showings, but ultimately, it was The Architect who reigned supreme.

The Shield vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust (Battleground 2013): The fall of 2013 was a dull period for WWE programming, but at least fans had The Shield's heated feud with the Rhodes brothers to look forward to from week-to-week.

Cody, Dusty Rhodes and Goldust's WWE jobs were on the line here, making it all the more emotional when they found a way to overcome the odds, outsmart The Authority and beat The Hounds of Justice.

Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens (Hell in a Cell 2016): It took Rollins several years to find his footing as a face after initially turning in 2016, but his determination to be the best never wavered.

This Hell in a Cell match featured plenty of exciting and jaw-dropping moments, but thanks to interference from Kevin Owens' best bud, Chris Jericho, Rollins was unable to claim the Universal Championship.

7. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz vs. Finn Balor (WrestleMania 34)

The Shield's 2017 reunion was cut short when Ambrose went down with an injury, leaving Rollins without any clear direction heading into WrestleMania 34.

However, he turned heads with his hour-long performance in a grueling Gauntlet match on an episode of Raw in February 2018, and from that point forward, it felt as if he had been reborn as an all-new competitor.

It wasn't long before he set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship and earned entry into a Triple Threat title match at 'Mania with The Miz and Finn Balor. They showed excellent chemistry in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view, so everyone expected it to be one of the better bouts of the night.

The three-way dance opened the event in exciting fashion as there was no telling who was going to walk out with the gold in their grasp. Although Miz was willing to do anything to retain his title and Balor had the support of the fans, Rollins was the one with the most momentum on his side.

This was all action from bell-to-bell with all three men coming close to victory on a number of occasions. After Rollins executed a picture-perfect Stomp on Balor, he followed up with another on Miz for good measure and pinned The Awesome One for his first Intercontinental Championship.

WrestleMania has hosted a slew of sensational Intercontinental matches in the past, but this was among the best in recent years. Better yet, Rollins went on to breathe new life into the prestigious prize and make it the hot commodity it once was.

6. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns (Battleground 2016)

After Rollins betrayed Ambrose and Reigns on Raw in June 2014 and brought an abrupt end to The Shield, fans immediately began to speculate when we would see them collide in a Triple Threat match. Of course, it was inevitable, but the timing had to be right in order for it to feel as epic as possible.

Rollins battled The Big Dog and Ambrose separately over the next two years, but it wasn't until the summer of 2016 that they were finally feuding all together.

The Architect bested Reigns for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank minutes before Ambrose emerged to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and take the title from him.

That set the stage for a major Triple Threat match between the former friends at the Battleground pay-per-view. Reigns missed a majority of the build for the bout as a result of his 30-day suspension, but that didn't make this matchup feel any less special.

Rollins appeared to be extra motivated as he was coming off a long layoff and wanted to prove he was ready to reclaim a belt he never technically lost a year earlier. He was perhaps the most exhilarating aspect of this outing, but it was still a tremendous Triple Threat on the whole with everyone playing their part to perfection.

Interestingly enough, Ambrose pinned Reigns to retain the title, so Rollins wasn't involved in the final decision. Nonetheless, with The Lunatic Fringe bringing the belt with him to SmackDown Live, The Architect became the top dog on Raw by default despite not having gold around his waist.

5. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2015)

Rollins wasted no time in finding success as a singles star when he broke away from The Shield in 2014. Soon after the split, he became Mr. Money in the Bank and cashed in the contract nearly a year later to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.

His reign as champ was unfortunately plagued by bad booking toward the end (losing more matches than he won), but the first few months of his title run featured some phenomenal matches.

The peak of his push in 2015 came at SummerSlam when he faced off with then-United States champion John Cena in a bout where both belts were on the line.

Although the match should have been positioned as the main event, they had no problem stealing it anyway. Rollins and Cena had plenty of experience working with each other from the year prior, but with the stakes higher than they had ever been before, they ensured this encounter went off without a hitch.

It helped that Cena was also at the top of his game in 2015 as a result of his weekly open challenges, so this was every bit as amazing as it had the potential to be and then some. As if wasn't already obvious enough, Rollins proved he could not only hang with a competitor the caliber of Cena but also beat him.

The fluky finish that saw SummerSlam host Jon Stewart interfere and aid his former foe, Rollins, to victory prevents this matchup from ranking higher on the list, but it was a major milestone victory for The Architect nonetheless.

4. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber 2014)

Although short-lived, The Shield's run in WWE will likely never be replicated. They went undefeated in six-man tag team action for their first seven months on the main roster, held the United States and WWE Tag Team Championships hostage for the better part of 2013, and they annihilated all who stood in their way.

Toward the end, though, fans started to see cracks form in the foundation of the group. They seemed to tease tension every week and had trouble keeping their eye on the prize; and in early 2014, their top priority was vanquishing The Wyatt Family.

The two factions had been at odds for months, and leading up to their long-awaited encounter at Elimination Chamber 2014, they barely made any physical contact. Everyone was anxious to see them go at it, resulting in a loud "This is awesome!" chant for the six stars staring each other down before the bell even rang.

Reigns and Ambrose in particular had problems staying on the same page, but Rollins was willing to risk it all in order to cement The Shield's superiority over The Wyatt Family.

It was chaos from start to finish, but when the smoke cleared, only Reigns remained in the ring with the Wyatts surrounding him from all angles.

The Big Dog attempted to eke out the victory, but to no avail. While The Wyatt Family stood tall, it was a personal win for Rollins, who was able to show off the skills that would make him a breakout singles star later that year.

3. Rollins and Ambrose vs. Ziggler and McIntyre (Hell in a Cell 2018)

A year removed from their first Raw Tag Team Championship win together, Ambrose and Rollins reunited in the red brand's tag team ranks in late 2018 and took aim at the twin titles once again.

Meanwhile, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre were fresh off beating The B-Team for the straps and aligned with Braun Strowman to rid Raw of The Shield.

Although Raw's tag team division had been on ice for months, this match reminded fans just how fun tag team wrestling could be when done right. All four stars worked wonderfully together and managed to make the titles feel more important than any other piece of gold in the company based off how valiantly they fought for them.

Rollins had been flying solo for so long that it felt strange to see him sharing the spotlight with someone else, but he and Ambrose didn't miss a beat. Ziggler and McIntyre were also a much better team than many gave them credit for and acted as a united front against the former champs.

It was refreshing for a tag team title matchup to last as long as it did and be treated like a huge happening. The hot crowd reacting to every minute of the action was merely the icing on the cake.

Despite an incredible effort, Ambrose and Rollins were unsuccessful in capturing the Raw Tag Team Championship at Hell in a Cell.

The rematch took place the following month on Raw and ended with the babyfaces becoming champions, only for Ambrose to turn on Rollins in shocking fashion.

2. The Shield vs. Ryback and Team Hell No (TLC 2012)

Fans had zero expectations for The Shield's first-ever match in WWE, especially considering how it came together on a whim.

There likely weren't any plans originally for newcomers Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose to compete at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2012, but because of an injury sustained by CM Punk, they were announced as replacements against the trio of Ryback, Daniel Bryan and Kane.

WWE had never before booked a six-man tag team TLC match, and without anything on the line, this bout didn't look to be anything special. However, that didn't stop the six Superstars from going all out and putting together a masterpiece.

It was unknown how well Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose would gel together since they weren't previously a stable in NXT, but they ended up being a cohesive unit straight out of the gate. While Ryback and Team Hell No didn't have much history as partners, either, their shared goal of spoiling The Shield's debut drove them to do whatever was necessary to emerge victorious.

One of the best parts of the matchup was how it highlighted every Shield member's individual strengths. Ambrose showed he could be a cunning and conniving competitor, Reigns was the powerhouse of the group, and Rollins was right at home in the air and could execute high-risk maneuvers with ease.

In fact, The Architect's bump off the top of a ladder through a table was the biggest spot of the entire outing. Even with Rollins down and out by the stage, Reigns and Ambrose were still able to keep Bryan down for the three-count and kick off their long-standing reign of dominance on a high note.

1. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena (Royal Rumble 2015)

Rollins suffered a number of losses during his stint as Mr. Money in the Bank from 2014 to 2015, likely because the company's mindset was that none of his setbacks would matter once he cashed in his contract successfully.

That tired trope has been done to death to over the years, but it worked wonders for Rollins, who at least looked credible in defeat during every one of his outings.

The 2015 Royal Rumble pay-per-view was no exception, as he vied for Brock Lesnar's WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat match also involving John Cena.

As previously noted, Rollins and Cena never ceased to tear it up whenever they shared the squared circle. Throwing Lesnar into the mix made the match even more exhilarating, as it meant The Beast Incarnate  didn't have to be pinned to lose the title (not to mention there were rumors at the time he was UFC-bound).

Between bad booking and an undesirable outcome, the Rumble matchup itself that year was a disaster, so it was up to these three to save the show and give fans their money's worth. Suffice to say, they succeeded and produced one of the greatest Triple Threat matches in WWE history.

Lesnar vs. Cena in a straight-up singles match for the fourth time (as originally advertised) would have been a bore, so factoring Rollins into the equation was the best move they could have made. He put in the performance of a lifetime and even grounded The Beast at one point by hitting him with a diving elbow through the commentators' table.

Being the superhuman he is, Lesnar regrouped and returned to the ring to lay out Rollins with an emphatic F5 for the win. With Rollins having officially arrived in this match, it should have come as no surprise that he was world champ two months later.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.