WWE Superstar Seth Rollins shared his perspective on the toughness of different wrestling generations during an appearance on “Outta Pocket with RGIII,” arguing that wrestlers have become progressively less tough over time, largely due to necessity.
“I always think that every generation is a little less tough because they don’t have to be,” Rollins stated. He contrasted the modern environment with the dangers faced by wrestlers in previous decades. “I don’t have to worry about somebody shanking me in the ring. I’m talking about the guys in the 60s, 70s, 80s, there was genuine concern that… somebody was going to shoot on you.”
Rollins explained that the lack of collaboration and communication meant wrestlers had to be prepared for real altercations. “They were trained in ways to hurt people… They wouldn’t talk about what they were going to do ahead of time as much… you never knew if anybody was going to try to get an upper hand,” he said. “You would err on the side of caution. So like if you even thought that somebody was going to try something, you would just preemptively do it to send a message, don’t try this.”
He described that era’s performers as “extremely tough” but also highlighted the detrimental ways they coped with the physical demands without modern knowledge of recovery. “They would be on the road and they didn’t have the information that we had about pre-hab and rehab, so they just drank, and they took uppers in the morning and downers at night and never slept… that’s how they got by, and that’s why so many of them are dead,” Rollins stated frankly, adding, “It was really just a wild west business.”
Rollins concluded that the evolution of wrestling into more of a structured business with better health resources means current stars don’t face the same brutal realities. “As it’s turned into more of a business and less of a circus, we don’t have to be as tough as wild as they were,” he reflected. “We have the knowledge and information of how to take care of ourselves… So yeah, I’m always of the opinion that every generation is kind of a little bit wimpier than the other one.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Outta Pocket with RGIII with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
