"It reeks of desperation" - Seth Rollins comments on AEW referencing WWE

Seth Rollins recently discussed WWE's rival product AEW referencing them on their shows.

Over the past few months, many wrestlers currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (including several who have a history with WWE) have mentioned WWE and their performers in their promos. The feud between rising AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman and CM Punk (himself a former WWE Champion), for example, has seen allusions to both The Miz and John Cena.

Rollins recently appeared on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, where he spoke about how WWE only refers to AEW wrestlers when it's useful to the storyline.

"To me, it's one of those things where, if it's very useful, it's fine. The references you spoke of are two kind of different things. I didn't use the reference to Mox to talk down to somebody. I wasn't trying to diminish anyone's accomplishments. It wasn't like that. He's part of our story, Roman wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for Mox and I," Rollins said. [H/T to Fightful]

The former WWE champion further stated that, on the flip side, AEW's way of referencing WWE Superstars "reeks of desperation".

"The other side of that coin is the way that it can be used by those guys... I find it very tacky and low-brow, personally. I think it looks and reeks of desperation. I don't think it's anything on our television show that we need to go there and talk down about those guys," Rollins added.

Was Seth Rollins punished for mentioning Jon Moxley?

In the lead-up to his Universal Title bout with Roman Reigns at this year's Royal Rumble, Rollins compared the support Reigns' Bloodline partners, The Usos, provided him with that of The Shield years earlier.

When asked if he received any trouble backstage for mentioning Moxley during that comparison on live WWE TV, Seth Rollins stated he didn't, as it was necessary for the story.

"Not one thing. Not one single thing. Nobody said anything to me about it. Everyone knows he's a part of our history. You can't do Seth and Roman without Dean or Mox, whatever you want to call him. I referred to him by the name he prefers to go by and that's where we're at. I heard nothing in response to it backstage," [H/T to Fightful]

Seth Rollins is currently scheduled to face a mystery opponent at WrestleMania this weekend. Meanwhile, Reigns will be putting up his title against Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship in a Unification match at the Show Of Shows.