Seth Rollins believes celebrity involvement can be a major positive for WWE, as long as it’s handled carefully and not overdone.
Ahead of WWE Backlash this weekend, Rollins appeared on ESPN’s UnSportsmanlike and discussed the growing crossover between mainstream celebrities and professional wrestling. During the interview, Rollins specifically praised stars like Bad Bunny and IShowSpeed for taking the business seriously and putting in the necessary work before stepping into a WWE ring.
At the same time, “The Visionary” stressed that celebrity appearances are most effective when they’re used sparingly rather than becoming overexposed.
Rollins compared the situation to his own ventures into sports media, explaining that while he enjoys making occasional appearances and giving his opinions, he knows there are limits to how much he should be featured outside his area of expertise.
“I don’t mind it,” he said. “I think there’s a balance in our industry. Like, you don’t want me doing too much,” Rollins said. “You don’t want me in the booth doing too much. Like, I can’t be [sports broadcaster] Kevin Harlan. I’m not like that. I’m not Tom Brady. I don’t have that expertise, but a little bit here and there. And I think that’s the same for wrestling. There was a big pushback against Pat McAfee when he came in. And it’s like, yeah, he’s inserted in this WrestleMania main event storyline that already had 20 years of history with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Our audience is like, ‘Ehh, maybe not.’ But when Pat was on commentary for us, he did a great job. He did a couple of matches here and there. He did one in NXT that was awesome. He worked with Gunther, they had a great match.'”
That led Rollins to emphasize that WWE benefits the most when celebrity crossover moments feel special rather than constant.
Quick-hit appearances can attract fresh eyes without overshadowing the core product.
Rollins continued, “And so it’s not like, it’s just in small doses. So Speed, Bad Bunny, small doses, great for our industry. And it allows us to kind of branch out and for different people and different audiences to see what we do.”
As noted, Pat McAfee’s involvement in the Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton storyline leading into WrestleMania 42 generated considerable backlash online. The criticism reportedly became strong enough that McAfee chose not to continue with the angle following WrestleMania.
Rollins also spoke glowingly about Bad Bunny’s dedication to WWE, comparing the music superstar’s level of fame to one of the biggest entertainers of all time.
“You don’t understand how big it is that Bad Bunny is wrestling in WWE. Bad Bunny is this generation’s Michael Jackson,” Rollins said. “I mean, this guy is the most — he sells out concerts and stadiums globally. We’re talking like nearly hundreds of thousands of people at these shows, and he’s coming to wrestle for WWE and is so pumped about it and is psyched about it and is willing to like put in the work. He doesn’t just show up game day and be like, ‘You know, I can do this.’ He’s like, okay, give me a ring. I gotta train, send somebody down here.’”
Rollins is set to face Bron Breakker in a grudge match at WWE Backlash this Saturday night in Tampa, Florida.
