Seth Rollins has defended Vince McMahon following Jon Moxley's criticism of the chairman, his company and its creative department.
Moxley had quite a lot to say on various podcasts after stepping away from the company. And Rollins, who seemed like the least likely WWE superstar to hit back, has gotten on a podcast himself to brand his former Shield brother "a little presumptuous".
"Ambrose can do what he wants. He's a big boy, he's got his big boy pants on," he told Jimmy Traina on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. "He can go out there and say whatever he wants, but the bottom line is not everybody's equipped to handle the rigors of WWE and the schedule and how it affects you mentally and emotionally. And Ambrose gave everything he had to the company for the entire time he was here.
"He put his heart and soul into the travel, into the schedule, into the injuries, into the work in the ring and all that stuff. But at the end of the day, he took his ball and he went home, or he went elsewhere at least. And I think it's a little presumptuous of him to get on a podcast and talk down about the company that gave him such an opportunity.
"And like I said, I love the guy. I love him, I'll always love him, but at the end of the day, we just share different perspectives about what we want out of life and about where we're at in our own lives. I hope that he does well. I've kept enough tabs on him to know that he's doing super well for himself right now and I'm happy for that, but I just don't think there's any reason to hop on a soapbox and complain after the fact.
"You need to take the first step, and that's looking in the mirror and asking yourself did you do every single thing you possibly could to make yourself and your situation what you want it to be, and if the answer is yes you did, then you can go elsewhere and complain. If that's where he's at mentally then go right ahead, but if he hasn't done that, he hasn't looked in the mirror and made that decision, then maybe he should think about that. That goes for any other disgruntled talent past or present."
One of Moxley's biggest complaints stemmed from his gripes with creative and the claim that he was not able to bring his ideas to reality. Rollins, though, says he's quite satisfied with the balance.
"Absolutely I'm satisfied with it because I make a point to be satisfied with it. I make a point to contribute my ideas and my thoughts, and if I feel strongly about something the way it should be or the way it should be portrayed, then I will make my voice heard," he explained.
"And look, not everybody gets that leeway. And also, not everybody should get that leeway. That's not how it works. You have to build equity with your audience, with your boss, with your co-workers. You have to build equity over time and then you can get the leeway to have that kind of say in your story if that's your complaint."
There are two vastly different personalities here. One seems to be as loyal to WWE as it gets while the other has found pastures new and is making a name for himself outside of WWE.
Of course, we hope this doesn't turn into a back and forth between the two. That would not be a good look for the legacy that is The Shield.