8 Nuances That Make Seth Rollins So Great

3. Make The Right Friends

With WWE’s punishing tour schedule, you and only you are responsible for getting to the right town on the right day.

Unfortunately, wrestling history is littered with cautionary tales of wrestlers getting lost, getting wasted, getting into fights and getting fired. The Plane Ride From Hell is only the most notorious of examples: ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper nearly got eaten by an alligator.

Called up to the main roster to work as part of a three-man unit, Rollins ate, slept and breathed The Shield with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Other legendary teams have loathed each other in real life: The Shield were like brothers, committed to the touring grind, determined to become stars and to make the other two men stars right along with them.

However, Rollins also had his own back. That fierce drive of his allowed no room for other people to get in his way, as exemplified by a story from early on in NXT when he refused to play drinking games after hours with the boys.

“I’ll stay up as late as you guys. We’ll all hang out; but, I’m not gonna take shots. I’m not getting drunk. I’m not gonna act a fool… that’s not in my character; but, you can’t pressure me to drink. Then it turned into a, ‘You think you’re better than us,’ type thing.”

Rollins stood his ground: the next day, everyone apologised to him. Later on, having a mentor like Triple H - a lifelong teetotaler - only reinforced this attitude.