Seth Rollins was riding high after WrestleMania 39, where he defeated YouTube sensation Logan Paul on the Grandest Stage of Them All.
His appearance on the following episode of WWE Raw, however, did not go to plan. The episode was plagued by last-minute changes made by Vince McMahon, who was backstage following the blockbuster event at SoFi stadium the two nights before. Talent were reportedly frustrated with McMahon influencing things backstage, even changing some elements as the show was on the air.
While it’s unclear if Rollins‘ Raw segment was victim of these last-minute changes, the segment definitely didn’t go off as the star expected. After he made his entrance into the arena with the crowd singing his theme song, an advertisement played, and when the show came back from commercial, Rollins was still in the ring enjoying the serenade. However, he walked out without saying a word.
Video surfaced online of Rollins speaking with a member of production during the commercial break, leading fans to wonder if his planned segment had been scrapped while he was live in the ring.
“What The Hell Is Going On?” – Seth Rollins On WWE Raw
Former WWE writer Freddie Prinze, Jr. was ringside for Raw in Los Angeles alongside his podcast co-host Jeff Dye, and the two provided an eyewitness account of the incident on the latest episode of Wrestling with Freddie. Dye began by recapping the scenario and noting that Seth appeared “mad.”
“They played a commercial during his intro, and then we could kind of hear him having a freak-out on some … production people. He was going ‘Why is there a commercial?!’ You couldn’t really hear what he was saying. You could just tell he was mad.”
Prinze then chimed in, saying he understood why Rollins was so angry and praising him for the “hardcore” way he walked out without speaking a word.
“He said, ‘What the hell is going on?!’ I saw that coming out of his mouth. I think he was more pissed than pissed at them. I think he was pissed when he went backstage at whoever did that. But if I was him, I would’ve been just as angry, and I thought the way he dealt with it was so hardcore and awesome. Instead of cutting a promo, he just throws the mic out of the ring and walked out — and walked out of the friggin’ show.”
Rollins did not appear on the April 10th episode of WWE Raw. That episode was also plagued by last-minute re-writes, though this time McMahon wasn’t the culprit as a flight delay meant multiple roster members were unable to make it to the show in time. Rollins was not listed in reports as one of the talents affected by the delay.
h/t WrestlingInc