"He's a guy who's inspired me”: Seth Rollins reveals Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels as his WWE inspiration

The legend Seth Rollins has established himself as one of WWE’s most accomplished performers, with various world championships and unforgettable matches. But before he became one of the top stars in the business, there was a time when he was not sure if a guy like him could even make it in pro wrestling. That all changed because of one legend.In a recent chat, Rollins shared the story of how a WWE Hall of Famer gave him hope.It was not just about the fame, it was about seeing someone who did not look like a giant still take over the spotlight. That someone was Shawn Michaels.As a kid, Seth Rollins was a massive fan of wrestling. Like many others, he first liked big stars such as Hulk Hogan. But things changed when he saw wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. They were smaller and faster than the big wrestlers of the 1980s, and they showed that one did not have to be huge to succeed.Rollins has appeared on the Chicago Bears Podcast, where he shared about his love for wrestling and how it all started."Oh, absolutely. I mean, look, I've been a huge wrestling fan for as long as I've been a Bears fan, the two things were, number one and number two in my life, pretty much as long as I can remember. When I grew up, my first guy was Hulk Hogan. He got me into it. The guy that really kind of let me know that this was something I could do or something that I was interested in doing is Shawn Michaels."Rollins talked about how in the past, WWE was full of giants. Stars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage, and The Warrior were known for their size and strength. But when Shawn Michaels came along, he proved that someone with a smaller build could still be a huge star."It was the first time that I saw someone who could draw a house, who could fill a stadium or an arena, who was a regular-sized person. In the 80s, it was the land of giants. It was Andre. It was Hogan. It was Savage. It was Warrior. These were the guys that brought the money in and put people in the seats, and Shawn and Bret were the first guys who were around six foot and moderate build that I was like, 'oh, wait, I'm not going to be Hulk Hogan size, but I certainly could be Shawn Michaels size.'"Even though Seth Rollins is now a top WWE Superstar himself, he still has a lot of respect for Shawn Michaels. He said that Shawn has been his favorite wrestler since he was around 10 or 11 years old. Rollins also said that many wrestlers from his generation feel the same way."I love Shawn. So Shawn's been my favorite wrestler probably since I was about 10, 11 years old. He's a guy who's inspired me and a lot of my generation... But yeah, I mean, Shawn's the guy. He's the guy that really inspired me to want to do this thing."Also Read: Kevin Owens throws shade at Seth Rollins’ faction during WWE RAWThe journey of Seth Rollins shows how one wrestler’s success can inspire another’s dream. Watching Shawn Michaels made him believe that he had a chance too. And today, Rollins is living that dream, proving that hard work, and the right inspiration can take you to the heights.