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After securing a massive win over Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event of Payback in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Seth Rollins found himself attacked once more, with the “King of Strong Style” continuing his assault on the WWE World Heavyweight Champion via repeated blows to his already broken back.
What gives? Was Nakamura simply a sore loser? Or was this all part of Nakamura's plan, as it doesn't matter if he lost at Payback if he ultimately secures the belt at Fastlane in October?
Stopping by The Bump to discuss the state of WWE, his championship, and most importantly of all, his back, Rollins assured the WWE Universe that he'll be just fine, as he won the title with a broken back and will all but certainly lose the belt with a broken back too, whenever that may be.
“It is what it is. All of us have something. We've all got some sort of nagging injury, we've all got something that's pulling at us, telling us we need to slow down,” Seth Rollins told Matt Camp, Megan Morant, and company via Fightful. “That's just part of the game. I know that. Everybody knows that. Now, my injury might be a little more serious than some people. But I know how to manage it. I told Shinsuke, I told the world. I won the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. I've been defending the World Heavyweight Championship with a broken back. So even though Shinsuke's the first guy to really target that injury, I feel like I know what it takes to manage it. I'll be just fine, I promise you. I promise everybody out there who's concerned. I'm gonna be fine. I promise you guys, I will be fine. The championship is in good hands.”
In professional wrestling, almost no performer is at 100 percent at any given time; little injuries add up over time, and when performers work a schedule as intense as a WWE Superstar, with literally hundreds of matches wrestled each year, it's hard to find the time to get healthy, especially when it required surgeries. Though Rollins could take a page from Kenny Omega's book and take the better part of a year to go under the knife and get his body right, it doesn't sound like the “Workhorse” of WWE is looking to slow down any time soon, even if that negatively impacts his in-ring abilities ever so slightly.
Seth Rollins admits he has to shoot his shots in WWE from time to time.
Continuing his conversation with Matt Camp, Megan Morant, and company on The Bump, Seth Rollins was asked about balancing his long-term health with short-term glory and if he ever has to pick his spots to shoot his proverbial spot in the ring.
To Rollins' credit, he gave a detailed, thoughtful response, noting that, while he's proud to be a workhorse, he does have to be careful not to go too off the deep end for the sake of his family.
“That's a tricky question. In some sense, yes. Obviously, there's some pride in being able to work through pain and work through suffering,” Rollins noted. “But at the end of the day, I know the risks. I know what can happen if something goes wrong, so it's 50/50. I love being someone that can push through boundaries, that can push limits and all that stuff. But at the same time, I don't want to risk my future. I don't want to put myself in a position where it's going to be difficult for me to have a life with my family in my future. I don't want to end up in a wheelchair when I'm 50 years old. So I've got to tow that line. I've got to be very careful with how I handle this and how I mitigate whatever's going on back there to make sure I can still give the audience what they deserve, give the championship what it deserves, and make sure that I'm gonna be okay for the future.”
A decade ago or even half a decade ago, all the “Visionary” had to worry about was putting on the best matches possible and getting to the next show on time after a night on the town drinking. Now, he has a wife – who, fittingly enough, is now also a WWE champion – a daughter, and an entire future to lose if he suffers a life-changing injury inside the ring. While Rollins clearly still lives to entertain, that has to factor into any match, too.