Credit: WWE.com

When Sting put over Triple H on Monday's episode of Raw, referring to The Game favorably and claiming that Seth Rollins will never be half the man the COO of WWE is, it struck a chord with fans. After he put Triple H over at WrestleMania 31 this past April, it sounded like he was again massaging his former rival's ego.

Upon further examination, though, those comments were the seeds of what will ultimately be a babyface turn for Rollins and a war with the man who anointed him the chosen one just over a year ago.

Later in the night, Rollins downplayed Sting's comments, propping himself up by insinuating that he will one day surpass Triple H. This drew the ire of Stephanie McMahon, who warned the current WWE world heavyweight and United States champion about speaking out of place.

When John Cena appeared moments later, he too mentioned that Rollins does not need the influence of The Authority to be a star in the industry.

What appeared on the surface to be a throwaway promo from Sting instead set the stage for a major storyline that will unfold over the course of the next few weeks and months.

Sure, there was already tension between Rollins and his superiors thanks to an inflated ego. But Sting drove a wedge in the relationship to the point where it might be irreparable. Rollins has questioned the legacy of The Game thanks to Sting's planting the idea in his head, and now one should expect to see Triple H take him out the same way he did Randy Orton and Batista when they threatened his idea of what is best for business: himself.

Whether Rollins wins or loses the match with Sting at Night of Champions on September 20 is irrelevant. What matters is that Triple H will inevitably be involved and that his actions during the contest will only help fuel Rollins' return to babyface status.

And Sting was the perfect person to use to necessitate the change in booking. While he was gracious and shook Triple H's hand at the end of their WrestleMania encounter, he is using the mind games he became synonymous with in WCW to tear apart the most unjust element of today's WWE.

How the company handles a Rollins face turn after spending a year developing him into the most hated and despised villain around remains to be seen. A reunion with his Shield teammates would instantly electrify the audience but would negate all of the previous issues between him, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. It would not make sense within the context of the story that has already been told.

Ready or not, though, the company appears to be moving on, to find someone else to fill the role of lead baddie on Raw and SmackDown. One obvious candidate is Sheamus, who currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase and could work with The Authority to steal the title from Rollins.

Then there is Kevin Owens, whose relationship with Triple H is strong thanks to his stint with NXT. While that pairing has been not explored at all on WWE television, all it would take is one of the company's fine video productions to explain the backstory and make fans understand.

While most look at Sting as undeserving of his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at Night of Champions, his role at the upcoming event is not to take the title from Rollins, but rather to be the emphasis for the next chapter in The Architect's career.

And by the end of September 20, Rollins will be much better off for having worked the match with Sting than he would have by beating Cena or any of his other full-time peers, and his reign as champion and one of WWE's elite Superstars will have new credibility thanks to a match with a true icon of the industry.