Seth Rollins Reflects on His WWE Journey and the Struggles of Not Being “Handed The Ball”
Seth Rollins has firmly established himself as one of WWE’s most successful stars, with nearly every major singles accolade under his belt. Despite this, Rollins has often felt that he was never positioned as the company’s “top guy” in the way that figures like John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes have been. In a recent appearance on the Insight podcast with Chris Van Vliet, Rollins opened up about watching Rhodes win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 40, and the complex emotions it stirred in him.
“I felt joy, probably a little bit of jealousy,” Rollins admitted. “But I don’t know, I’ve never really been the guy that’s been handed the ball that way. For the last 10 years it’s been Roman for the most part, and then Cody comes back and he kind of gets that treatment as well.” Rollins explained that while he always felt he had the potential to be WWE’s top star, the decision-makers in the company didn’t see him that way. Despite this, Rollins expressed a sense of happiness for Rhodes and acknowledged the significant achievement, but also mentioned a feeling of professional jealousy.
Rollins continued, adding that without his contributions, stars like Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes wouldn’t have achieved the same level of success. However, he emphasized that this mindset stems from his dedication to the business and the company’s success, putting the needs of WWE ahead of his own desires. Rollins believes that if everyone works toward the betterment of the business, everyone will benefit in the long run.
Praise for Drew McIntyre
Rollins isn’t the only top WWE star who hasn’t felt like the focal point of the company. He pointed out Drew McIntyre as another example of someone who has been in a similar position. McIntyre defeated Rollins at WrestleMania 40 to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, only to lose it minutes later to Damian Priest.
“There’s some things that don’t go your way all the time when you’re kind of wrapped up in yourself, but Drew had a really good year after that,” Rollins said. “He does deserve the spotlight. He works really hard. He’s a guy who got fired and came back. He didn’t leave on his own; he got let go because he didn’t know what he was doing, and he went and put in the work and then came back a totally different version of himself and has continued to improve.” Rollins added that despite McIntyre’s often controversial online persona, when it comes to in-ring work, McIntyre is one of the best in the business.
Common Enemy: CM Punk
Rollins and McIntyre have had a common foe over the past few months: CM Punk. McIntyre spent much of 2024 focused on eliminating Punk, while Rollins faced Punk on the January 6 episode of WWE Raw, suffering a loss to the former AEW World Champion.