Seth Rollins has explained what separates upper-level wrestlers from the elite.
Seth Rollins has been a fixture in WWE’s main event scene for over a decade and is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers on the roster. During that time, he has reinvented his character several times and moved between heel and babyface, but one thing that has always been consistent is his ability to hold any audience in the palm of his hand.
During a recent interview on Delivering Happiness, Rollins said it’s that skill that sets him and other elite-level stars apart from the rest of the roster.
“I think one of the things that’s really underrated in top talent and you kind of look at it through the history is there’s a level, there’s an intelligence that exists. There’s an understanding of people and how to read people, how to read a room, and how to kind of manipulate that reaction and that feeling.”
“You look at guys from all different eras and they have it and they may not be traditionally the smartest guys in the world, like, you know, math scientists type things, right? Like Dusty Roads was incredible at it, the American Dream. You look at Ric Flair, you look at Bruno Sammartino, you look at Stone Cold Steve Austin, you look at The Rock, you look at all these generations, Triple H, these guys, John Cena, myself, Roman Reigns, the common denominator, aside from the desire for greatness, there’s a hunger to be at a level above other people, right? There’s an intelligence. There’s a knowhow with a way to get people to do what you want them to do.”
Rollins added that he doesn’t mean he manipulates the audience, but he acts on what fans want to see from him during any given storyline.
“And I don’t mean that in a negative manipulative way. I’m not trying to trick you or anything like that, but I understand what you want and what you don’t want and how to make those things work in conjunction with each other in the context of a story. And I think that’s the big thing that really, I think separates kind of that upper level from like the elite.”
Seth Rollins Shares His Pro Wrestling Mount Rushmore
Recently, Seth Rollins named the men he believes to be the top of the elite. Focussing on in-ring ability over mainstream fame, Rollins chose Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Dynamite Kid, and Bret Hart for his Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling. He also gave Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes honorable mentions, but admitted that Rhodes’ in-ring work “wasn’t blowing anyone out of the water.”
H/T to F4WOnline for the above transcription.
