While appearing on Club Shay Shay, Seth Rollins opened up about a pivotal moment early in his career — revealing just how close he came to signing with TNA Wrestling instead of WWE back in 2010.
At the time, Rollins (then competing as Tyler Black on the independent scene) was aggressively pursuing opportunities, but wasn’t receiving responses from WWE. “I was also trying to shop myself to some smaller companies, but I wasn’t getting any call back from WWE. Nobody was answering emails.”
With communication stalled, Rollins admitted he had a legitimate offer from TNA sitting in front of him and was seriously considering taking it. “I had a deal on the table with TNA. I thought, ‘I don’t know if I want to sign this. WWE is where I want to be.’ So I made one final call. I told the talent relations guy, ‘Hey, I’m going to sign this deal with TNA if I don’t hear back from you.’ It was Sunday night. I said, ‘I’m signing it in the morning.’”
That call proved to be career-defining. “Fifteen minutes later, he called me back. ‘Hey, kid. Let me talk to my people.’”
Rollins said the representative didn’t offer immediate confirmation, instead telling him he would receive a call the next morning — leaving him anxious and unable to sleep. “He didn’t tell me anything yet. Just said, ‘We’ll call you back in the morning.’ I couldn’t sleep. I was waiting. He could’ve easily called back and said, ‘Never mind.’”
When the follow-up call finally came, it changed everything. “When he finally called back, he said, ‘We’re going to give you an opportunity.’ I remember exactly where I was standing. I didn’t care how much the money was. I didn’t care. That’s all I ever wanted — an opportunity. The biggest wrestling company in the world. My dream.”
Rollins revealed that the financial sacrifice was significant, estimating that he turned down “at least triple the money” elsewhere in order to chase his dream with WWE. “I probably turned down at least triple the money to go somewhere else. But I knew this was where I could make my way.”
The gamble ultimately paid off. Rollins went on to become one of WWE’s cornerstone performers, capturing multiple world championships and headlining WrestleMania events — a testament to betting on opportunity over immediate financial gain.
PWMania.com will continue to bring you more highlights from Rollins’ appearance on Club Shay Shay.
