Seth Rollins may be off WWE television right now, but don’t expect his rivalry with Roman Reigns to stay in the past forever. While WWE billed their SummerSlam main event as the final chapter of The Shield story, Rollins says that only closed one part of their history—not the possibility of facing each other again.
Speaking to ESPN New York, Rollins looked back on the SummerSlam match and called it one of the defining moments of his career. For him, the bout represented much more than a world title match. It was the culmination of everything he and Reigns had built together since The Shield debuted in WWE back in 2012.
“You know, I think it was a core moment in my career. I think it really put a kind of 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 admitted there was a lot riding on the match, especially because Jon Moxley is no longer part of WWE. That left him and Reigns carrying the responsibility of telling the final chapter of The Shield’s story on their own after spending years helping WWE through both difficult and successful periods.
“I think it really kind of put a stamp on that, and 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. And I think that, you know, when it’s just the two of you who’ve been here and not left and kind of went through 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 serviced, and I felt really proud of the fact that we were able to do that and I think deliver what our audience really enjoyed.”
Rollins also had plenty of praise for Reigns, saying they’ve always brought out the best in one another regardless of whether they were teammates or rivals. Looking back, he came away feeling satisfied with how everything played out at SummerSlam.
“I appreciate the kind words. I had a lot of fun. Roman is, you know, one of the best there is, and we’ve always had a tremendous chemistry whether we’re on the same side or against each other.”
“So, I came out of it feeling really, really good. Happy to have that one done. I think it felt like a nice kind of closing chapter to sort of see what the next one is going to be.”
That led to the obvious question: was SummerSlam the last major singles match between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns? Rollins doesn’t think so. Instead, he explained that what ended was the betrayal storyline that began with his infamous chair shot in 2014. In his mind, SummerSlam finally allowed both characters to move on instead of constantly being tied to that moment every time they shared the ring.
“I don’t know that that’s the case. I think it closed the loop on the Shield as the betrayal story. I felt like it allowed both of us, our characters, to move in different directions, and so we’re not tethered to that chair shot from 12 years ago. You know, we can kind of take the characters, and we have over the years, but there’s always been that sort of throughline. I think now it feels like that’s sort of, for better or worse, complete.”
Even with that chapter finished, Rollins made it clear he isn’t closing the door on wrestling Roman again. He pointed out that both men are still in the prime of their careers and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
“But, you know, I’m 40, Roman’s 41. I think maybe 42, I’m not sure. But I mean, we still got time. Like, we’re still in the prime of our careers.”
Rollins then left fans with a simple message about the future. As far as he’s concerned, as long as they’re both competing at the top of WWE, another showdown is always on the table.
“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. So as long as there are titles to be won and legacies to be made, I can see it happening again.”
Rollins sees SummerSlam as the ending of The Shield’s story—not the ending of Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns. If another championship, another WrestleMania, or another major moment brings them back together, he doesn’t sound like someone who’s ready to say no.
Do you think WWE should revisit Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns down the line, or was SummerSlam the perfect place to end their Shield story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
