Seth Rollins Calls Shoulder Surgery Recovery “Way Worse” Than 2015 Knee Surgery

Seth Rollins has been noticeably absent from WWE programming since the fall of 2025, sidelined by a shoulder injury that required surgical intervention. While “The Visionary” has battled back from significant injuries before—most notably his devastating knee injury in 2015—he recently revealed that this current rehabilitation process has been the most difficult challenge of his career.

“Rehab Has Been Awful”

During a guest appearance on Men’s Health, Rollins opened up about the reality of his recovery. He confirmed that his surgeon repaired his rotator cuff, noting that while the labrum and bicep tendon were surprisingly intact, the rehab for the shoulder has been grueling compared to his previous major reconstruction.

“The rehab has been awful. It’s been terrible. I tore my knee — ACL, MCL, meniscus in 2015, and I would say this was way worse. It’s super painful, and I find that the sleeping was extremely difficult because I’m in a brace nonstop for six weeks.”

The Mental and Physical Toll

Rollins detailed the mental strain caused by the recovery, specifically highlighting the inability to get quality rest. Forced to sleep upright in a brace for six weeks, he described a cycle of pain and sleeplessness that affected his mood and stress levels.

“Any sort of small movement wakes you up and triggers you… You can’t get good R.E.M., you can’t get good deep sleep so your recovery’s bad, so your mood is bad, so your stress level is up.”

He also lamented the tedious nature of the physical therapy, describing weeks of “staring at a wall” doing isometric holds as a low point in the process.

Targeting WrestleMania?

Despite the “terrible” road, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Rollins revealed that he is currently at the 12-week mark and has turned a corner. With the brace off and mobility returning, his focus has shifted to rebuilding strength. Regarding a return date, Rollins remained cautiously optimistic, eyeing the biggest event of the year as his target.

“I’m good. Mobility’s good. Just gotta keep it and then work on the strength and like I said, hopefully we’re on track for sometime before April 20th or whenever WrestleMania is.”