Club Shay Shay – Seth Rollins, Part 2

Original air date: February 18, 2026
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: Seth Rollins

Episode Overview

In this engaging Part 2 conversation, WWE superstar Seth Rollins returns to Club Shay Shay to talk with Shannon Sharpe about the realities of professional wrestling, his approach to pain and injury, backstage relationships (and rivalries), wrestling legends, influencer crossovers, work-life balance, and his life beyond the ring—including his marriage to Becky Lynch and being a dad. Rollins pulls back the curtain on the complexity of wrestling both as sport and spectacle, reflects on his own evolution as a performer and person, and delivers a candid, passionate take on loyalty, growth, and the future of the business.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Reality of Wrestling Injuries

02:22

• Rollins affirms that despite choreography, wrestling is physically taxing:

  “Stuff hurt very much.” – Seth Rollins (02:22)

• Describes real-time “self-evaluation” during matches when injured, using a shoulder injury versus Cody Rhodes as example:

  “I hurt my shoulder... How bad did I hurt my shoulder? Is there anything left in the match that I can’t do or that’s going to be dangerous for me or my opponent or that I’m going to make look bad?” – Seth Rollins (03:14)

• On concussions:

  "When it's something like that, like a concussion where you can't self-diagnose... we have people in... everybody watching to make sure. No, no, no, get him out of there." – Seth Rollins (05:35)

Backstage Culture: Receipts, Rivalries, and Respect

06:03

• On “keeping receipts” for accidental or intentional roughness (“if someone gets a stray shot in there”):

  “Generally for when things might be a little on purpose. The John [Cena] thing was a complete accident.” – Seth Rollins (06:23)

• Summing up the self-policing of physicality and the parallel to football:

  “It’s a physical interaction. So things happen. And no, for the most part, there’s not a lot of bad blood. But occasionally someone will get a stray shot in there...” – Seth Rollins (06:45)

Longevity in Wrestling

07:44

• On wrestling into his late 40s, as John Cena did:

  “I’m 40 in a couple months, and I feel great. I’m in what I would consider the prime of my career where the physical hasn't declined and the mental is as sharp as it's ever been.” – Seth Rollins (07:44)

Picking a Wrestling “Mount Rushmore”

08:19

• Money-drawing all-time:

  “Hogan... Sammartino... Stone Cold Steve Austin and likely The Rock.”

• Greatest in-ring:

  “Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero... Dynamite Kid was really good... Bret Hart... Ric Flair... Dusty... Brian Danielson... I’d like to be in the conversation at some point. AJ Styles...” – Seth Rollins (08:22–09:40)

Wrestling Icons and Bucket Lists

09:47–10:54

• On wrestling The Rock and meeting legends:

  “It was really cool to be out there in the main event of WrestleMania with The Rock... I got to do promos with Jake the Snake and Roddy Piper. Got to, you know, be in the main event of WrestleMania with The Rock. I mean, this is bonkers stuff.” – Seth Rollins (09:47–10:20)

Fractured Relationship with CM Punk

10:54–18:16

• Rollins details the painful falling out with CM Punk—once a mentor, later estranged:

  "It’s so complex... It's just so hard for me to separate the CM Punk that there is now from the CM Punk that was a really rotten friend to me 10 years ago." – Seth Rollins (11:00)

• On Punk’s coldness after leaving WWE:

  "He leaves the company and basically just completely ghosted... He let me sleep on his couch... and then he leaves... just didn’t like the fact that I stayed working for the company." (15:15–16:21)

• On feeling betrayed by public criticism:

  “He spent many, many, many years taking kind of potshots at what we were doing, what we were trying to do in WWE without him... When you start to talk bad about my home... I take that personally.” – Seth Rollins (16:26–17:13)

• On Punk’s return:

  "It really, really bothered me when he came back, because I go, dude, you were gone. We did this... not only without you, but in spite of you." – Seth Rollins (17:13–17:56)

Matchups and the Marvel of Pro-Wrestling

18:31–20:50

• Rollins celebrates the diversity of matchups in wrestling, likening them to “Marvel movies in real life”:

  “That’s what's fun about wrestling... you get all of that with wrestling that you just don’t get in any other form of sport.” (18:59–20:20)

Crossover Athletes & Influencers

20:50–24:45

• On NFL/NBA crossovers:

  “George Kittle… Miles Garrett’s one of my favorite… DK Metcalf… That’s a lot of the reason the WWE likes to recruit, you know, college athletes.” (20:56–21:40)

• NIL and athlete development:

  “We do have an NIL program... hope they can develop a passion for it.” (21:53–22:10)

• On influencers (Logan Paul, McAfee, IShowSpeed, Bad Bunny):

  “As a talent, it can be frustrating... But at the end of the day, like, that was never your spot that you weren’t going to do... The reason we bring these influencers is to get new eyes on the product.” – Seth Rollins (22:27) “Logan’s a great example... He developed the passion for it quickly... I think he got addicted to the process.” (23:14–23:41)

• Praising Bad Bunny’s dedication:

  “He had an absolutely wonderful match with Damian Priest in Puerto Rico a couple years back... This would have been like Michael Jackson in 1986 at WrestleMania. What are we talking about? That’s crazy, dude.” (26:00–26:34)

Celebrity “Beefs” and the Business of Conflict

26:56–27:44

• On a playful feud with Post Malone:

  “Posty, he got up in my grill, man... You can't be doing that.” (26:59)
  "I'm in the conflict business, man. I mean, there's no money to be made if everybody's..." (27:37)

On Fan Safety and Responsibility

27:50–31:10

• Choosing not to press charges when attacked by a fan:

  “He was catfished by somebody pretending to be me... It felt like the wrong thing to do to try to get him incarcerated.” – Seth Rollins (27:54–28:25) "I chose not to press charges... didn't seem to me that that was gonna solve the problem." (30:42)

Life & Relationships

On Being a Wrestling Power Couple

31:10–32:57

• On “goat couples” (Seth & Becky, Savage & Liz, Edge & Beth, HHH & Stephanie):

  “I mean, we’re number one by a mile... there’s nobody on that list that’s even close.” (31:16–31:53)

• How the shared lifestyle helps:

  “When you find somebody who gets it... it’s so much easier. Our business and our industry is so strange and so weird... just asking regular people... is a tall task.” (32:10)

The Demands of Wrestling Life

33:06

• “We would be at 300 days a year for sure... wrestle probably close to 215 matches [a year]... There’s no chance to have a proper relationship in that situation.” (33:06)

Relationships, Polyamory, and Settling Down

33:58–36:53

• Rollins opens up about past struggles with serial monogamy and thoughts of being poly:

  "What I really needed was to be single... or B, I needed to find the right partner. And I did... I had a ring on order within like two months." (34:13–35:31) “The literal second she said that I could feel my heart be like, Oh no, what have you done?” (36:32)

Why Becky Was Different

37:13–40:08

• “It was so effortless... our relationship was based on friendship, mutual respect... I confused the feeling of lust for a long time with the feeling of love... With her, it was never about that.” (38:17–39:04)
• On true connection:

  “Once the romantic, once the spark hit, I was like, oh, that's the thing. That's what they all talk about. That's what they write the movies [about].” (40:08)

Beyond Wrestling

Hollywood, Movies, and Staying in the Ring

40:08–48:00

• On being cut from "Captain America":

  “I had some pretty sick scenes in there where I’m beating up Anthony Mackie... but the studio wasn’t happy with the direction... I did get a heads up... I knew it was up.” (40:11–41:47)

• Not enthusiastic about acting as a full-time career:

  “I did a WWE movie... Hated every second of it... Captain America, I gotta do that, right? ...But that’s, I just don’t like it; I don’t like the process of it.” (41:50–42:28)

Supporting a Daughter Entering Wrestling

42:52–45:36

• On his daughter becoming a wrestler:

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think if you asked me that like 20 years ago, I said no. The business was in a much different place... It’s just a much better place for women than it was even when I came in in 2012. So if she wanted to do it, great, I’d support her and help her out.” (44:58–45:36)

Wrestling’s Evolution for Women

45:36–45:56

• “In the beginning, women had very, very limited roles in wrestling... It was awful. Awful.” (45:36–45:56)

Family, Workouts, and Life Balance

48:08–50:55

• On workouts:

  “I used to train like a psychopath... hit 35 and I just didn’t recover the way I used to... Four days a week... try to be a dad when I’m home, try to take my kid to school and pick her up and do all the stuff.” (48:08–49:13)

• Work/life with Becky Lynch now they have a daughter:

  "We were so fortunate to be able to spend that time [traveling as a family while Becky was on the road]." (49:21)

• Logistics now:

  "My mom moved out to Los Angeles... she gets to spend time with grandma..." (49:56)

Behind-the-Scenes & Fun Questions

50:55–51:58

• Wrestling and bathroom breaks:

  "Oh, it never happens... Our matches are, at most, a crazy one would be an hour long... Once I'm through the curtain, it's done, it's over." (51:00)

Sports Fandom & The Chicago Bears

52:12–55:58

• On the prospect of the Bears leaving Chicago:

  “There’s no way… That’s a PR stunt. There’s no way…” (52:24)

• On optimism about the Bears:

  “You’ve got a quarterback and a coach and if that stays synced up and you stay in that same system, I mean, you see the modern NFL, that is the recipe for success…” (53:24)

• On playoff performance:

  “The fact that they were able to progress so quickly and start winning games... win the north with the packers and the Lions… this year felt different, man.” (55:05)

Notable Quotes

• “I’m in the conflict business, man. I mean, there’s no money to be made if everybody’s ...” – Seth Rollins (27:37)
• “It’s hard for me to separate the CM Punk that there is now from the CM Punk that was a really rotten friend to me 10 years ago.” – Seth Rollins (11:00)
• “This is bonkers stuff…be in the main event of WrestleMania with The Rock...” – Seth Rollins (10:15)
• “Logan’s a great example…he got addicted to the process…” – Seth Rollins (23:41)
• “We would be at 300 days a year for sure. Easy, easy with the travel and the media.” – Seth Rollins (33:06)
• “Once the spark hit, I was like, oh, that is—that’s the thing. That’s what they all talk about.” (40:08)
• “I’d support her and help her out.” – Seth Rollins on his daughter wrestling (44:58)

Timestamps for Significant Topics

• Physical pain and in-match injury adjustment: 02:22–06:03
• Backstage physicality and “receipts”: 06:03–07:36
• Longevity and wrestling past 40: 07:44
• Mount Rushmore of wrestling: 08:19–09:40
• On wrestling legends and icons: 09:47–10:54
• Relationship with CM Punk: 10:54–18:16
• Matchups and wrestling’s “Marvel” element: 18:31–20:50
• Influencers and crossover athletes: 20:50–24:45
• Celebrity “beefs" and conflict as entertainment: 26:56–27:44
• On wrestling with Becky Lynch and being a wrestling power couple: 31:10–32:57
• Polyamory, loyalty, and finding the right partner: 33:58–36:53
• Work-life balance, parenthood: 48:08–51:13
• Bathroom breaks in wrestling: 50:55–51:58
• Chicago Bears fandom: 52:12–55:58

This in-depth episode is a must for fans of wrestling and sports culture alike, exploring not only the spectacle of the ring but the humanity behind it—friendship and beefs, family and lifestyle, and the journey from small-town Iowa to main-eventing WrestleMania. Seth Rollins brings humor, honesty, and sharp insight to every answer, making for an episode rich in both revelation and entertainment.