Seth Rollins Criticizes WWE's Wild Card Rule

Shortly after WrestleMania 35, Vince McMahon announced that both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live would operate under the Wild Card Rule, allowing a group of wrestlers to jump from one brand to another on any given week. The number of wrestlers was initially set at four, but it has exceeded that total almost every week to the point where it's barely acknowledged anymore, essentially ending the latest draft split that's been in effect since 2016.

While he's only wrestled once on the Blue Brand since the rule was introduced, Seth Rollins was notably critical of the decision in a new interview with Newsweek.

"The Wild Card really muddled things up, to be honest with you," Rollins said. "Now you're seeing those guys every single week. It used to feel special when I see the New Day but now they're eating pancakes backstage every chance they get on Monday and I'm not a fan of that. But no, it's great that there's so much talent across both brands. I think once you see the move to Fox it's really going to tighten down as far as best Wild Card options and stuff like. It's really cool to see things come together now and get these cool match ups you might not get in October or November."

He was also asked why he rarely appears on SmackDown even with the rule. His only televised match came on the June 18 episode when he teamed with Kofi Kingston to beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Two out of Three Falls tag match.

"Raw is my gig, man. SmackDown is fine, they have two hours," he added. "There are people on that show that need TV time. They have so many guys backstage that are starving to get the opportunity right now or they're just sliding in on backstage vignettes or what have you. I'm not going to go over on their and take over segments every single week. They don't need it they have a wealth of talent over there. Besides, I don't want to deal with Shane McMahon more than I have to."

Rollins spent the majority of the summer as Universal Champion, but dropped the title back to Brock Lesnar at the end of Extreme Rules when "The Beast" finally cashed in Money in the Bank. The former champ won a 10-man battle royal the following night on Raw, earning at rematch against Lesnar at SummerSlam.