"Wrestling is just massive at the time. It's sort of invaded pop culture," he said. "Also, it's the advent of the internet and you can connect with people from all over the world. Also, backyard wrestling became a big thing. Me and my friends started doing it in our backyard. We put on shows, we'd give out flyers, and I was just obsessed.

"I told my folks like 'I'm done playing basketball, man. This is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.' In high school, I started taking acting classes, taking public speaking classes, got gym memberships so I could get in some sort of shape. Then I was doing these backyard shows for my friends. Once I turned 18, I was like I'm going to get trained, so I went and got trained."

Initially, Rollins set out to hone his pro wrestling skills with CM Punk, another future WWE Champion, in Philadelphia. Due to a lack of money, however, he moved back to the Midwest to train with Danny Daniels out of Chicago instead.

Fast forward to February 2026, Rollins now has over a decade of experience working under the WWE banner alone, and according to a new report, he's viewed as one of the promotion's biggest stars.