Seth Rollins Reflects On NXT Return, Praises Roster
Following his recent World Title match in NXT, Seth Rollins spoke about what it was like to go “home” for a huge match.
The first champion in NXT was Seth Rollins. That was in 2012 when the likes of Triple H and Dusty Rhodes took over WWE’s developmental brand to try to create something new and fresh. Later that year, Seth debuted with The Shield on the main roster, but he’ll always be the first NXT Champion.
In the decade-plus since his reign as the first NXT Champion, Seth Rollins has become a leader in WWE that brings out the best in everybody around him. As the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Rollins is determined to not only have great matches but create some memorable moments along the way too.
On the June 20th episode of NXT, Seth Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against former two-time NXT Champion Bron Breakker. While nobody watching likely expected Breakker to beat Rollins, they had a fantastic match that was likely one of the best NXT TV matches this year.
During an interview with Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Seth Rollins spoke about his NXT return, which drew big ratings for WWE’s third brand to show that it was a great success when Rollins was there.
“It was very cool for me to go back and have that moment. One of the things I talk about is helping the younger talent and pushing the industry forward. The opportunity was presented to me to go down to NXT and I haven’t wrestled a match on the show in over ten years. Obviously, it moved from Full Sail to the Performance Center and the look, the feel, and the vibe was totally different and it had gone through so many different iterations over the years, but it’s still NXT.”
“I cut a little promo after the show and it didn’t really dawn on me that it would feel sentimental until after when I got out there and I felt the audience and I felt the connection. I hadn’t wrestled in front of a crowd that small and intimate in a very long time.”
“There is something special about wrestling in front of an intimate crowd like that in a small space. You’ll see big bands do that, go back to these small bars and pack them out. There is something about that where you get a different experience as opposed to doing it in an arena or stadium, it’s a lot more personal. It really hit me when I went out there and you could really interact with any person in any seat. It was an awesome experience.”
As he continued, Seth Rollins spoke about Bron Breakker as his opponent and the overall atmosphere in NXT.
“Bron was a hell of an opponent. I was really happy to get down there and get in the ring with him and chit-chat with other guys and girls, and see what they are experiencing on a day-to-day basis. It was cool. I felt a lot of hunger to get to the next level. I was happy to see that.”
“We were going through a period with NXT where there was a lot of complacency and people talking about, ‘I’d rather stay in NXT, I don’t want to go to the main roster.’ That always rubbed me the wrong way. When I went down there this past time, I felt a different energy and I felt people were excited to come to the main roster and take their careers to the next level. That got me hyped.”
Looking ahead, Seth Rollins will likely have to deal with Finn Balor yet again at SummerSlam as the “Freakin” man looks to continue his World Heavyweight Title reign.