Seth Rollins Says Shoulder Rehab Is Worse Than His Brutal 2015 Knee Injury

Seth Rollins is dealing with one of the toughest stretches of his career, and he’s not sugarcoating how bad this injury has been.

Speaking on Men’s Health’s Strong Talk podcast, the WWE superstar opened up about his real-life shoulder injury, confirming that the recovery has been more difficult than his infamous 2015 knee injury that sidelined him during the height of his rise.

Rollins explained that when his surgeon finally operated, the damage wasn’t as catastrophic as originally feared — but the recovery process has been miserable.

*“When my surgeon got in there, he was pleasantly surprised, honestly. The labrum looked good and the bicep tendon was fine. So he just repaired the rotator cuff. And the rehab has been awful. It’s been terrible.

I tore my ACL, MCL, meniscus in 2015. And I would say this was way worse.”*

He went on to detail why this recovery has hit him harder, pointing to constant pain, lack of sleep, and the mental toll that comes with being immobilized for weeks.

“It’s super painful, and the sleeping was extremely difficult because I’m in a brace non-stop for six weeks. So I have to sleep upright, which is really uncomfortable. You can’t get solid rest. Any small movement wakes you up. You can’t get deep sleep, so your recovery is bad, your mood is bad, your stress is up. And then the rehab is just painful. It’s slow and it’s painful.”

Rollins also addressed the elephant in the room: fans questioning whether his injuries are real due to past storyline angles involving fake injuries. Instead of dodging it, he owned it.

“I guess you don’t. You can call my doctor if you want… I’ve blown my credibility when it comes to my injuries, but it pays the same, so I don’t really care.”

As for whether fans will see him back in time for WrestleMania, Rollins made it clear that optimism doesn’t equal control.

“Don’t know the answer to that yet… the timeline for shoulder surgery and repair is four to six months… I hope to be cleared by the time WrestleMania rolls around in April, but that decision isn’t mine.”

It’s a brutally honest look at what WWE stars actually endure behind the scenes — not just physically, but mentally — especially when their entire career depends on their body holding up.

Rollins sounds determined, but realistic. And whether he makes it back for WrestleMania or not, it’s clear this is one of the hardest battles he’s had to fight outside the ring.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.