WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins shared a passionate message with the crowd after the June 20 episode of WWE NXT went off the air.
On Tuesday night, Rollins beat Bron Breakker to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The match marked Rollins’ return to NXT, and it was a special occasion, as he was the inaugural NXT Champion.
In an NXT Digital Exclusive, Rollins sent a message to the crowd, as he explained that he came back to NXT because the title deserves respect. He named other world champions and stated that he wanted to be part of that lineage. (H/t Fightful for the transcription)
“I’ll tell you what, the reason I come down here to NXT and defend the World Heavyweight Championship is because I love this, and this title deserves that respect because there are champions like Harley Race, like Ric Flair, like Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, like Mr. Five-Time Booker T who took pride in taking the heavyweight title to every city and every town in every single country that they could, and putting on a fight to raise the prestige of a world heavyweight champion.
“If I can even lace those boots for two seconds, if I can be a part of that lineage, then I’m doing something right, so thank you guys for giving me the opportunity,” Rollins said. “Booker T, Shawn Michaels, everybody who’s held a title like this before me, thank you guys for giving me the opportunity to fill your shoes.”
Rollins then explained that performing in front of the NXT crowd for the first time in years made him emotional. He highlighted the impact the fans have had on his career and called them the proving ground for everyone in NXT.
“Now I want to tell you guys just a little story. So when I was asked by Bron Breakker to come down here and defend my title on NXT and I accepted, I had a lot of people asking me, ‘Seth, does it feel nostalgic? Are you getting emotional?’ To be honest with you, it had been so long since I’d stepped foot in an NXT ring, and I’ve been fortunate enough to do so much all across the world that my honest answer was no, it wasn’t hitting me like I thought it would. Until I got out here. [Fans chant ‘Welcome back] That right there, all of you, you guys embody the same energy that I left NXT with a decade ago. You guys are still the proving ground for every single person back there in the back, you guys and your vitality, your love, your energy is what has made me a visionary, it is what has made me a revolutionary, it is what has made me [fans chant his name],” Rollins said.
The video is available here:
Click here to catch up on our coverage of the June 20 episode of WWE NXT.
