Summary

Seth Rollins believes celebrity involvement in WWE can help the company, as long as it is used carefully and the guests are willing to put in the work before stepping into the ring.

Speaking on Unsportsmanlike, Rollins pointed to Bad Bunny and IShowSpeed as examples of crossover names who approached WWE the right way. He said both men treated the opportunity seriously, training for their appearances instead of showing up expecting to coast on fame alone.

That lines up with how WWE has leaned into mainstream crossover moments in recent years, including the kind of celebrity presence the company was reportedly happy with at WrestleMania 42, as covered in this recent report on WWE's view of those appearances.

Quote from Seth Rollins

Rollins said Bad Bunny's level of fame made his WWE work especially notable, and he stressed that both Bunny and Speed earned respect by preparing for their performances:

"Well, I am the Bad Bunny of sports broadcasting. That’s how I feel. I grew up watching SportsCenter. So Stu Scott and Rich Eisen, Dan Patrick, these are my guys. To be able to be behind a desk with the NFL Network, ESPN, Good Morning Football all the time, I’m sure there are ex-players or broadcasters who are out there going, what is this dope doing? The same way, sometimes fans look at our guys and are like, what is Speed doing? But these are just fans of what we do. They just love it. Bad Bunny is and I’ve had this conversation before. I’m like dude, you don’t understand how big it is that Bad Bunny is wrestling in WWE. Bad Bunny is this generation’s Michael Jackson. He sells out concerts and stadiums globally. We’re talking like nearly hundreds of thousands of people at these shows and he’s coming to wrestle for WWE.

He’s willing to like put in the work. He doesn’t just show up game day and be like I can do this. He’s like, okay, give me a ring. I gotta train. Send somebody down here. We have producers and talent that go down and work with him to teach him how to do these things so that he can put together a performance. Same with Speed. I was on a plane the other day from LA to somewhere, I don’t even remember. It was pre-WrestleMania. Speed and his crew were on this red-eye with me. Speed was right there next to me, and we were going to wherever because he had to get ready to do this match at WrestleMania that he was a part of."

Rollins later went on to say:

"I don’t mind it. I think there’s a balance in our industry. You don’t want me behind in the booth doing too much. I can’t be Kevin Harlan. I’m not like that. I’m not Tom Brady. I don’t have that expertise, but a little bit here and there. I think that’s the same for wrestling. There was a big pushback against Pat McAfee when he came in and it’s like he’s inserted in this WrestleMania main event storyline that already had 20 years of history with Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton. Our audience is like, eh, maybe not. But when Pat was on commentary for us, he did a great job. He did a couple of matches here and there. He did one in NXT that was awesome. He worked with Gunther, they had a great match. It’s just in small doses. So Speed, Bad Bunny, small doses, great for our industry. It allows us to branch out to different people and different audiences to see what we do."

What Rollins' WWE View Means

Rollins framed celebrity involvement as something that works best when it supports the product instead of taking it over. His examples all centered on preparation and limited use, which suggests WWE talent can accept crossover stars more easily when those appearances feel additive rather than disruptive.

That also speaks to how WWE can keep using outside names to reach new viewers without undercutting full-time stars. In Rollins' view, Bad Bunny, IShowSpeed, and even Pat McAfee were most effective when their roles stayed specific and earned.

Sources

Seth Rollins while speaking on Unsportsmanlike