In the current day, wrestling fans know Seth Rollins as “The Visionary,” a decorated champion and veteran in WWE. Rewind to the Nineties, though, and fans would see a young Rollins simply dreaming of meeting his favorite WWE Superstars.
While sitting down with “The Viall Files,” Rollins opened up about his journey from being a wrestling fan to a wrestler himself. “I used to be a fan growing up,” he said. “You mentioned a number of those guys. I used to be a fan of those guys growing up. My dad took me to a show once I was like four-years-old and I just became fascinated by the concept these were like real-life superheroes, [Hulk] Hogan, [Ultimate] Warrior and Legion of Doom. Then there have been real-life villains.
“These folks that you may reach out and touch versus comic book heroes like Batman or Spider-Man or whatever. That never really resonated with me the way in which like, oh, he’s right there. Hulk Hogan’s sweat could fly on me, like he’s right there. He really beats up these bad guys, so I became obsessive about it.”
Within the mid-Nineteen Eighties, Hulk Hogan rose to prominence as the highest babyface in WWE, a lot in order that the Hulkamania movement went mainstream. “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior emerged as notable foes to Hogan, with “The Hulkster” famously unseating Savage because the WWE Champion at WrestleMania 5. In keeping with Rollins, Savage stays a heavy influence in his wrestling work, particularly with regards to his current persona.
A Teenage Rollins Took On Backyard Wrestling & Acting Classes
As Rollins entered his teenage years, he recalled stars resembling “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, and Mick Foley finding success during WWE’s Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Rollins took on a combination of athletic and performative activities with the aim of in the future reaching the identical level as them.
“Wrestling is just massive on the time. It’s kind of invaded popular culture,” he said. “Also, it’s the arrival of the web and you possibly can connect with people from all around the world. Also, backyard wrestling became an enormous thing. Me and my friends began doing it in our backyard. We placed on shows, we might give out flyers, and I used to be just obsessed.
“I told my folks like ‘I’m done playing basketball, man. That is what I will do for the remaining of my life.’ In highschool, I began taking acting classes, taking public speaking classes, got gym memberships so I could get in some kind of shape. Then I used to be doing these backyard shows for my friends. Once I turned 18, I used to be like I will get trained, so I went and got trained.”
Initially, Rollins got down to hone his pro wrestling skills with CM Punk, one other future WWE Champion, in Philadelphia. Resulting from an absence of cash, nevertheless, he moved back to the Midwest to coach with Danny Daniels out of Chicago as a substitute.
Fast forward to February 2026, Rollins now has over a decade of experience working under the WWE banner alone, and in response to a brand new report, he’s viewed as considered one of the promotion’s biggest stars.
In case you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “The Viall Files” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.