Seth Rollins believes his SummerSlam showdown with Roman Reigns finally brought one of the defining stories of their WWE careers to a close.
The second night of SummerSlam was headlined by Reigns defeating Rollins to capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins has remained absent from WWE television since the match.
Speaking on ESPN New York, Rollins reflected on the significance of sharing another major stage with his longtime rival and described the encounter as a “core moment” in his career. “I think it was a core moment in my career,” Rollins said. “I think it really put a stamp on the last decade or more of what WWE has become, from when The Shield came in in 2012 to now as we’re starting to transition out of our era into whatever the next generation is going to be.”
Rollins said there was additional pressure surrounding the match because the third member of The Shield, Jon Moxley, is now with AEW. “I think it really kind of put a stamp on that. That was a lot of pressure going in, you know? We’re missing one of our core guys in Mox, who’s over in AEW,” Rollins said. “I think that when it’s just the two of you who’ve been here and not left and kind of went though all of the bad times to get to the good times, there’s a lot of pressure to do that story and I think the fan expectation service.”
Rollins was pleased with the way the match came together and praised Reigns and the chemistry they have developed throughout their careers. “I felt really proud of the fact that we were able to do that and I think deliver what our audience really enjoyed,” Rollins said. “I appreciate the kind words, I had a lot of fun. Roman is one of the best there is and we’ve always had tremendous chemistry, whether we’re on the same side or against each other.”
For Rollins, SummerSlam felt like an appropriate conclusion to a chapter that began with The Shield’s WWE arrival in 2012 and continued through years of alliances, betrayals and championship battles. “I came out of it feeling really really good. Happy to have that one done,” Rollins said. “We started with a bang, we had a lot of great moments in the middle and that felt like a nice kind of closing chapter to sort of see what the next one is going to be.”
However, Rollins stopped short of saying SummerSlam represented the final major singles match between himself and Reigns. “I don’t know that that’s the case,” Rollins responded. “I think it closed the loop on The Shield, the betrayal story. I think it closed the loop on that, I felt it allowed both of our characters to move in different directions so that we’re not tethered to that chair shot from twelve years ago.”
Rollins believes the longstanding thread connecting their characters through The Shield has now reached its conclusion, allowing both men to move forward independently. “We can kind of take the characters — and we have over the years, but there’s always been that through line,” Rollins said. “Now, it feels like that’s sort of, for better or for worse, complete.”
That doesn’t mean another Reigns vs. Rollins match is off the table. “I’m 40, Roman is 41. We still got time. We’re still in the prime of our careers, so never say never. I think you could always come back to it, I don’t think either of us are going anywhere from the top of the card anytime soon.”
Rollins concluded, “As long as there are titles to be won and legacies to be made, I can see it happening again.”
