The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier TV - Seth Rollins tells DC: "I'm as good as I've ever been" at SummerSlam 2023

Episode Date: August 4, 2023

World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins is as ready as he's ever been ahead of his WWE SummerSlam 2023 showdown with Finn Balor. In this exclusive sit down with the wrestling superstar, DC and Seth "Freakin" Rollins talk Money in the Bank, Judgement Day, the ESPY Awards, as well as his thoughts on Damian Priest and Finn Balor. And don't miss why despite being in the sport over a decade, Rollins feels "as good as ever!" #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

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with the W.W.E. World Heavyweight champion. He's a visionary. He's a revolutionary. He is Seth, freaking Rollins, Seth. Thank you for joining him, my friend. Hey, thank you. DC. Good to be here, man. Good to see you again. What's you up to? Man, I'm in Utah right now. We always got a UFC event coming up. But I needed to make time for the champ. That big gold belt looks on you, my guy. I enjoy, I enjoy seeing you. you getting what's so rightfully yours. Well, I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it.

We love this bad boy right here. You've been the guy that the show has been built around because you've been consistent, things that you almost ran on and when you were making your way towards becoming the world champion was you're going to be a fighting champion. Has it been everything that you expected since getting that championship belt? Oh, absolutely. I think it's been everything I've expected and more, to be honest with you, the response from the live audiences, every city, every country we go to, has been incredible.

Everybody on Monday Night Raw, who's been jonesing for a World Heavyweight Championship every week, finally gets the opportunity to come try to get it. There's no glass ceiling on Monday nights anymore. We know who the top of the top is. You know where to go. You know I'm going to be available. You know I'm going to be there every week. And we've got people coming out left and right trying to get championship matches.

And I love that. I love that. I love people trying to come after it, man. It's only going to make the title better. It's only going to make me better. And I'm already about as good as I've ever been. So it's a big win all the way around. You know, you're doing things in the WW and on Raw,

but it's not limited to that. You went back to NXT and fought Bronbreaker. Is it important to you to elevate that younger talent? What does that mean to you? Well, you know, it was an idea that came up. And, you know, when I was in NXT, we had a, a lot of guys who would come down and do live events, sometimes do some television stuff there. And that meant a lot to us as younger talent to see people who cared about the future, who would

come down, who would have conversation with us, who would try to help us out, get in the ring with us. All those types of things always made an impact on me. And so when the opportunity arose for me to go back down to NXT and do the same thing for these young cats, it's crazy that it's been over a decade now and I'm in different shoes. but I do relish the role. I'm happy that I'm in a position where people think of me that way, that I get the opportunity to go down there

and be the guy that I looked up to a decade ago. And so it meant a lot to me to go back to where I started and kind of pass along the knowledge that was, you know, passed to me at a formative age. You know, champ, when we're talking at WrestleMania, I asked you about the switch in the crowd reaction. you essentially change roles without doing anything different. And you said it was surprising because people just kind of took to it.

But now it seems to have gone to an even bigger level. I mean, what does that feel like, Seth, to come out and when you hit that curtain, 18,000 singing, people going crazy. And you are playing to them at a level that I don't know if I've seen in a really long time. Like how gratifying is it to have? that be the response every time you step inside the ring. It's just really fun, man. It's really fun.

And like at the end of the day, that's what professional wrestling is supposed to be. You know, it's supposed to be a good time. It's great when it's serious and it's great when it's art and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, it's meant to be fun. It's meant to be for families, for friends, for buddies to go out, have a good time, or tune in and watch the show Monday, Friday, whatever it may be. But it's meant for the live experience. And to go out there and be able to just party with these people, whether it's 12,000 people in Mexico City.

We got 50,000 people coming up here in Detroit for SummerSlan, whether it's these big arenas, these small stadiums, whatever it may be. It's just a good time. And so it makes my job and my life so much more fun, so much easier, so much more enjoyable. It's really just been a great experience the past couple years, man. And like I said, I'm riding this way. I'm just on. I'm hanging. I want it for as long as I can get it because you never know how long these moments are going to last, you know? It's a moment in time. It's fleeting. You just never know when the next one's going to be your last one. So I'm hanging on having a good time and join it with everybody else. You know, careers like this is all about the moments and the memories. I think back to my fight in career and all those great moments that I had inside the Octagon and I can see you making them. But you just spoke about hanging on. on. Now we got through a little bit of the get there. Now we're here. You're hanging on because the

judgment day they're nipping at your heels, man. They are dastardly and they are taking over to WW from NXT to Smackdown to Roth. They're everywhere. But they're everywhere trying to steal your championship. We got senior money in the bank, Damien Priest nipping at your heels. We got Finn Baller who beat you before to become a champion as your opponent coming up in Detroit, Michigan. How much are you having to look over your shoulders, my friend? And do you need backup at this point? Well, you know, the thing is with the Judgment Day, I don't have to enlist backup. I'll start there because they've made so many enemies.

They've made so many enemies along the way that backup is going to find its way. It's going to make its way to me, whether it's going to be Kevin Owens, whether it's going to be Sammy Zane or any of the other people on NXT that they've done wrong, West Lee, any of these guys. And so I think backup will find its way to me. Now, on the other side of that, there's only one World Heavyweight Champion, right? And you've got two guys in the Judgment Day who are looking to become World Heavyweight Champion. And at some point, that's going to cause a problem. I know right now they're thinking, man, we got this. We got this all figured out.

But I'm telling you, that someone who has cashed in money in the bank, who has held that briefcase for a long, long time, that thing gets to you, man. It gets to you because you have to take every opportunity that you can get. You never know when the right time is going to come up and you've got to be prepared at all times. And so Damien Priest, he's going to do that. He's going to do everything he can to make sure he cashes in successfully. and if that means doing it at the expense of his friend in Finn Baller,

I'm telling you, I'm telling you, there's no way he's going to turn that opportunity down. And so to me, I worrying about a group's no fun. I've been a part of a group, very famous group. We did all right. And we use numbers to get where we wanted to go. So I understand that that's difficult. But having that experience, having the money in the bank experience, I also know how to be prepared for these type of things.

They don't call me a visionary for nothing, D.C. I got these things in the back of my head. I got these experiences. These moments have all been in there. They ain't going nowhere, man. So they're helping me get to where I need to go. So Judgment Day, awesome. Love what they're doing.

They're incredible from top to bottom. But they ain't me. And that's all there is to that. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free, I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashed. human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. The architect. I want to see The architect kind of playing for each other a little bit more. Like, just kind of play them against each other a little bit more, you know, singing and dancing with this flag going. Got to getting at these dudes, making them kind of fight each other so that ultimately it comes and pays to our benefit in keeping the World Heavyweight Championship. Look, Seth, Ben Baller, you guys have a long history of great matches.

You guys have done it time and time again. How important is to do it at a stadium show in front of all these people in Detroit outside, like, WrestleMania was one thing and boy, I was happy when you beat Logan Ball. But now you get to fight a guy in Finn Ballard who's been around forever, a guy that wants what you got. Because Seth, for a while, you were, it was easy for people who support you to be frustrated

that you didn't have a belt. You spoke about holding a belt. Finn Ballard's in the same situation. How important is it for you to be in there sharing this moment with a guy that can kind of relate to some of the things that you were going through very recently? I mean, that's a beautiful thing, man. And it's a shame that only one of us can be World Heavyweight Champion.

And I've said this. The World Heavyweight Championship exists solely because there are so many people who are capable of holding that title. You know, Roman Marines, he's doing his thing. He's doing it on a level that not many have ever touched. Right. But the fact that he doesn't want to have a schedule that has him do both shows is a problem. them. And so there are so many guys on Mondays and Finn Baller is one of them who deserve an opportunity to be at the top top of the game. And so to be able to go in there at a huge show

four world title against Finn Baller, it's what it's all about, man. It's what it's all about. It's what being a champion is all about, going out there and getting the best out of your opponent, your opponent bringing the best out of you and may the best man win. You know, that's what, That's what sports is all about. It's what athletics is all about. We put two of the best in there. We put something on the line and we see who the best is. And so doing that at SummerSlam on a big stage,

seven years after the first time Finn Baller and I did it. And you're right, we've got a lot of history. We've had a lot of ups and downs. A lot of people don't know this. But Finn Baller is the person that trained my wife. He trained Becky Ball. She brought her into the industry. And so, you know, I owe him a lot on a personal level.

I may not have a wife and a family if it wasn't for him. And so I'm very excited to be able to share the ring. I hope his headspace is where it needs to be because I want the best Finn Baller. I do. I want the best Finn Baller because that's going to bring out the best Seth Rollins and that's going to give the people and the World Heavyweight Championship the best matchup possible. And Becky Lynch, I'm telling me, she's a real deal with her. Boy, she can go, huh?

She can go. She can really wrestle with you guys to do it together. She's the best. She's the best. The best there is. She can go, man. She can really, really go. I'm telling you that much.

Tell her I said, hi, you know, we did the ESPN stuff together out at WrestleMania. Tell her, I said, well. Two questions before I let you go, champ. When you talk about what you have done

in this sport, it leads me to one question. I think about it constantly. Because to me, you're the best in the world. You are the best wrestler, hands down in the world right now. What does that mean to you when so many people view you as the best wrestling in the world? Like, does that matter to you to be the best?

Yeah, it does. Being the best is, uh, it's, it's very arbitrary, right? You know, our business is sport, but it's also entertainment. It's art. And so I, uh, anybody could be the best in anybody else's eyes, you know? And there's a lot of guys out there who, the, the audience who, the audience who, who consumes our product and all the other professional wrestling that's out there. You know, they have their opinions about who the best is.

So to be in the conversation of the best right now is extremely humbling to me. It's something I've always strived for. I grew up loving the wrestlers' wrestlers. I love Sean Michaels. I love Betty Guerrero. I love Brett Hart. I love Mr. Perfect. Like, these were my guys.

And so I love Brian Danielson. I loved AJ Styles. And so to be in the conversation in my era as an elite level, like the top top of the tops, whatever you want to say top three, top two, top five, top one, whatever. To be in that conversation, that's what I always have strived to be as a performer. And so to me, to even have someone who consumes our product like you say Seth Rollins is without question the best, that means a lot to me. I will never take that for granted. If anybody out there has an opinion of me that speaks highly of what I love, because I love this, man.

I love it. That's why I continue to do it. I love it. I have more passion for this than I've had anything in my entire life. That's why I've dedicated my entire life to it. And so to have people receive me in that way, it means a lot to me. And that's something that I take a lot of pride in, a lot. That's why I continue to push forward as much as I can.

how's the body feeling with the heavy schedule wrestling as much how's the body doing you know it's it's taking its toll beating a fighting scene it's no joke man it's no joke as you know when you at this stage of the game i mean you've been involved in athletics pretty much your entire life you know when you when you really when you hit 30 everything starts to change right everything i mean and that's an arbitrary number early 30s late 20s whatever everything starts to And it's no longer about, oh, am I feeling 100% today? There is no 100%. It's just you're just managing whatever nagging little injuries you have in the hopes that

you don't have one that's going to require surgery or take you out for a long time. And that's everybody at my level. Everybody who's an elite athlete at this stage of the game in their career, they're just going to have those things. And so it's part of the game. So I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I'm 100%, but I'm also, I'm, also right in my prime man. I'm feeling really good. The body is well enough to do the things it needs to do

to have me in that conversation we just talked about. Hey, champ, before I let you go, you said you're feeling as good as you've ever felt. You always look good. I mean, you're already, you're swagged out right now for the interview, but I saw you and the wife at the S-P's. How did you guys enjoy the S-Pee's? Boy, y'all just, y'all own the red carpet.

Yeah, man. I mean, look, we were there for a short bit. We did a good, we got to present for best play, which was awesome. Hard for me is the various fans give Justin Jefferson, but the man deserved it had one of the greatest catches of all the time. So he deserved it. But yeah, we were there to make a statement, man. WWA ain't playing around.

You know, we look good. We got it together, dog. Me and the wife, we are the power couple. Ain't nobody touching us when it comes to style on a red carpet. So we wanted to go there and make a statement. our stylist put together some fantastic looks. Big up's King Troy. He's a man.

And yeah, dude, it was a blast. Espe's were cool. I watched ESP's growing up as a kid, so to be able to go there and be on stage and backstage with Iron Mike Tyson and Angela Reese and all those people and stuff like that, just having a great time. It was a pleasure, man. I was really excited that we got the opportunity to do that. I hope it's not the last time I'm at the ESP's.

Guys, this is Seth Rollins this Saturday on Peacock. He takes on Finn Baller for the World Heavyweight Championship. Once again, Seth walks into the champ and hopes to leave at the champ as he goes into one of America's greatest cities as the champion to take on Finn Ballard. Champ, thank you so much for joining me and checking in with me. I appreciate your time as always. We'll get some rest. And I cannot wait to see you compete this weekend. Good luck.

D.C., thanks, man. My pleasure, dog. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast,

The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. podcast network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.