Seth Rollins recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and the former WWE Universal Champion discussed several topics, ranging from Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement to his thoughts on working with Edge. Rollins described what he enjoys about the “Monday Night Messiah” character; he said it’s a progression for him. “‘The thing that I’ve enjoyed the most is being on the other end of the leadership totem pole,'” said Rollins via Barrasso. Rollins then compared his place in The Authority, where he was learning from several veterans, to his role as the leader of his new stable. “‘So to be able to take the knowledge I’ve learned over the past eight years and help them move their careers forward, that’s very exciting. It’s a different role than I’ve ever taken on, and I’m really looking forward to seeing them blossom and becoming even bigger superstars.'”
Per Barrasso, Rollins also reflected on the challenges of wrestling without live crowds. He emphasized the important ways an audience affects a match, from its energy to its pacing. The Monday Night Messiah said empty arena shows are forcing him to focus on specific aspects of storytelling during matches, and he described its impact on his match with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. “‘We’ve always had great chemistry together in the ring, so to finally have a match on a major platform for the WWE Championship, we both had a chip on our shoulder and wanted to take it to the next level,'” said Rollins via Barrasso. “‘We were able to do that, and I was really happy with the finished product.'”
Finally, Rollins also shared his mindset on Austin Theory, the newest recruit to his stable. “‘I watched him for the first time leading into WrestleMania, and I was so impressed by his poise, his work ethic, his style, and his presence,” said Rollins via Barrasso. “Then I found out how old he is, and I was even more in shock. I felt so disappointed in myself for thinking about how terrible I was at his age (laughs). I’ve kept an eye on him since, and I put the feelers out there that, if he was available, I’d certainly take him. One thing led to another, now here we are.'”
