Seth Rollins recently stated that he believes there are “plenty” of WWE stars on the main roster who do not necessarily possess a true love for professional wrestling. This discussion comes as WWE continues to recruit athletes from outside the wrestling world. Rollins, who made a name in ROH before joining WWE, shared his perspective on how people look at getting into wrestling.
Wrestling as a Paycheck
Appearing on Bert Kreischer’s Something’s Burning show, Rollins discussed how the current environment differs from years past, when the schedule quickly weeded out those who lacked passion. He offered a blunt take on why some people are involved in the business. Rollins first commented on the financial motivation for some:
“It’s a paycheck, right? It’s a job. So there’s plenty of people that will do the job if they’re getting paid to do it.”
He acknowledged that while some people may learn to love the craft over time, those who do not develop that passion will not last in the long run. Rollins noted that a full career is too draining, both physically and mentally, to sustain without a genuine connection to the industry. Rollins then stated:
“Look, some people turn to it and they learn to love it after it becomes a love. I don’t think anybody stays in it for a career if they don’t love it, because it will wipe you out.”
Lighter Schedule is a Factor
Rollins then compared the current schedule to the demanding past schedule, suggesting that the lighter workload today allows those without deep passion to remain on the roster. The relentless schedule of previous years served as an internal weeding-out process for the company. He detailed how the schedule used to be:
“It is a painful, as you physically and mentally draining experience. Now the schedule’s way lighter than it used to be. We still travel every week, but we’re not doing nearly as many shows. Back in the day, when you (Becky) and I were doing 200 matches a year, that would weed people out very quickly if they didn’t love it. They would just get exhausted, burn out so fast they’d quit. But yeah, there’s plenty of people I would say now on the main roster that don’t really have a love for it necessarily.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Something’s Burning with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription. You can watch Something’s Burning on YouTube.
