Seth Rollins goes in-depth about his role at Summerslam this year.
The former WWE Champion has been named the special guest referee for the most highly-anticipated match on the card. He is in charge of Drew McIntyre vs CM Punk, which is a rivalry that has been brewing since the 2024 Royal Rumble.
The pair have taken various shots at each other since then. Punk cost McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship twice, while Drew left Punk a bloodied mess in his home town of Chicago.
With things reaching a boiling point, special guest referee Seth Rollins is the only man able to keep them contained. He spoke with ESPN’s SportsCenter about Summerslam and his role as the referee in one of the main event matches.
Seth Rollins explained that all three men hate each other in the match. However, he’s going to call it right down the middle, saying he hates them both equally.
“I don’t like Drew. I don’t like Punk. Punk doesn’t like Drew and doesn’t like me.” Seth Rollins explained. “You’re right, there’s a lot of tension between the three of us. It’s going down Saturday in Cleveland at SummerSlam. I’m going to have my stripes on—a little preview tonight. I’m rocking the zebra all week long in preparation. I got to get the mind right. So I’m going to get the clothes right, the fashion right. I’m going to call it right down the middle and let these two slug it out. May the best man win. If you know one thing about Seth Freakin’ Rollins, you know that the fits are always on point.
“I hate them both equally. Equal opportunity, absolutely, 100%. I want them both to suffer the exact same amount, so I do my best to work that out. It’s going to be up to them—who’s going to pin who, who’s going to make who tap out. We’ll get to all that, but I’m going to be there to make sure they beat the crap out of each other, and the people in Cleveland are going to love it.”
Seth Rollins: No Other Referee Would Take On CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre
Seth Rollins said that CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre wouldn’t even have been sanctoned if he wasn’t the special guest referee.
He was asked if he would get involved in the action, a la Shawn Michaels at Summerslam 1997. Seth Rollins replied by saying he hopes he isn’t, revealing that the match would not be sanctioned unless he agreed to be the referee for the bout.
“I hope not. The goal is not to be. We got to understand the reason I’m in this position is because neither Drew nor Punk could contain themselves in the lead-up to this. There was too much going on. No referee wanted to be a part of it.
“The match wasn’t going to get sanctioned until I stepped in and said, ‘Hey, I can throw on the ref shirt, give it a shot.’ I’ve never done it before—first time in my career. I’ve never at any level been a special guest referee, so I’m very excited to see what it’s going to be like out there. Like you said, this is without a doubt the most anticipated match of the card, in my opinion.”
