During his appearance on Something’s Burning with Bert Kreischer, Seth Rollins pulled back the curtain on the state of WWE’s developmental system when he entered the company – describing it as dysfunctional, outdated, and nowhere near the world-class machine it has become today.
Rollins, who was then known as Tyler Black and had just finished a top run as ROH World Champion, expected WWE to be an upgrade from the independent scene. Instead, he was stunned by what he found.
Seth didn’t sugarcoat the environment he walked into: “When I came in 2012… the WWE was in rough, rough shape at that time. Rough shape.”
He pointed out that this was during the PG Era, but the creative direction and talent recruitment model were even bigger problems. According to Rollins, WWE’s hiring philosophy had completely shifted away from skilled performers: “They weren’t recruiting wrestlers anymore… they were recruiting bodybuilders and like failed amateur athletes.”
He noted WWE was signing large athletes based almost entirely on size: “If you were 6’3 and 240 lbs, you could get signed. They just put you in the warehouse and think they could turn you into a superstar.”
But the problem wasn’t just who they recruited – it was what they did after signing them. Rollins said WWE had no proper developmental structure in place: “They didn’t have a place to train them. It was a disaster. Really a disaster.”
The facility he was sent to – FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) – was a far cry from the polished Performance Center that exists today: “It was literally just half of a warehouse… two wrestling rings… a showroom… It was a sweat box. There was no AC… excruciating. I walked in to that warehouse and I could not believe my eyes thinking this was what I gave up Hammerstein Ballroom to do.”
And it wasn’t just the heat – it was unsanitary: “A shower that had never been cleaned… dirt… you were like maybe wear your flip-flops when you go in there.”
Rollins said the system offered no clear path forward, despite his status as one of the hottest independent wrestlers in the world at the time: “There was no end in sight. There was no connection to the end in sight.”
For Rollins, who had expected a polished, elite training environment, the disappointment was massive. “I was at the top of the game on the indies… and I walked into this warehouse… unreal.”
One of the few positives that came out of the chaos was that it gave him confidence: “I realized… I was already better than everybody in the room… it allowed me to have the confidence to lead.”
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