Mr. Money in the Bank Seth Rollins was hustling around the public relations circuit in advance of WWE's TLC pay-per-view (PPV) last week, and one of his stops was at the This is Awesome Wrestling Show in Cleveland, where the PPV was held.
The self-proclaimed future of the WWE (a belief shared by a lot of fans and industry observers) talked to hosts Glenn Moore and Steve Guy about a wide range of topics, including the show this past Sunday, NXT and the church of Crossfit. You can listen to the whole show here.
But the quotes that jump out from the interview are about a guy whose trail Rollins followed to WWE, and who has been in the news a lot lately without being anywhere near a WWE ring - CM Punk. Transcription is via The Wrestling Observer Online.
In general, his thoughts about what Punk is doing with himself now - comics writing and especially mixed martial arts - are positive. This isn't surprising, as I'm sure a lot of pros would love to be able to retire as wealthy 30 year olds to pursue their hobbies.
Good for him. Kudos to Punk for finding himself something to do after WWE. He's made a big splash over the last few weeks between his podcasts and signing with UFC. I wish him the best of luck. I really hope that he has as much success there as he has here. I think it will be very interesting for him to try something new. He's only been a pro wrestler since he was 18 years old. For him, at his age, to step out of his comfort zone and try something new is pretty admirable and I'm looking forward to seeing how he does.
While Seth says he can understand the circumstances that lead to Punk's exit from the company, he's definitely in the camp that believes that when the dust settles and everyone has the benefit of some time to reflect, Vince McMahon, WWE and Phil Brooks will all agree it could have been handled differently. Rollins is also part of the chorus of current and retired wrestlers who seems to think that, once that dust settles, relations between the two parties will resume:
I think it could have handled better, probably, on both sides. And I think down the road, people involved will say the same thing. But as much as I don't necessary agree with the way he left, I think I understand, mentally, where he was. This business can take a toll on you. You travel a lot. You get beat up a lot. There's a lot of frustration that's involved and mentally, over time, that can wear on you. It can put you in place where you're a different person. And when you're not happy with who you are and the person you want to be, you gotta take a step back. You gotta look at things outside the bubble a little bit. I think that's what he did and I think he realized that he needed to take a step back and see what was going on. And if he didn't like it, then he can move on. I think they agreed to disagree. Like I said, could have been handled differently from a public relations standpoint on both sides. I think once the dust settles, everything will feel itself out and it should be alright.
If he comes back, The Architect thinks - even with everything that's been said by Punk - that he'd find a welcoming group in the WWE locker room. And that's partly because the Chicagoan and his former co-workers know that he's a bit of a pain in the ass...
I don't see why not. He's a self-admitted jerk, first of all. And if you listen to his podcast, he didn't say that he was in a great mood the last few months that he was there. He admitted how grumpy he was and how much of a jerk he was, even more than he already is. I think we would welcome him back. I'm not to hold too much grudges. I think everyone deserves a second chance; an opportunity to redeem themselves. I would welcome him back. I'm sure he would face some resentment, as far as the locker room is concerned. But guys get over that stuff pretty quick. I think if it was best for business, yeah, I would be open to it for sure.
This is a pretty big test for Rollins as a potential face of the company, publicly navigating the political minefield of CM Punk's exit and move to UFC.
How do you think he did? Does anything he said change your opinion on the future of Punk and WWE?