Seth Rollins Reveals Complex Process Behind Planning Ladder Matches in WWE

Seth Rollins has competed at the highest level in WWE for years, taking part in numerous ladder matches that have certainly taken a toll on his body. That being said, Rollins has now shared some insights into how a ladder match is planned in WWE.

While speaking on the Jason Khalipa podcast, Seth Rollins explained how ladder matches are planned in WWE. He said that while wrestling is an art form, it involves a mix of preparation and improvisation.

Rollins compared it to a Cirque du Soleil show, where everything is carefully designed, and acrobatic moves are practiced over and over. But in WWE, matches, especially ladder matches, don’t have as much rehearsal and require more adjustments during the performance.

“Yeah, sure. I mean, it’s an art form. No doubt about it. It’s very much, start to so late, without the intense repetition. So, like, you know, if you look at a Cirque du Soleil show, you know, that’s, they, those, like you go to a Cirque show and you’re like, holy cow, I’m starting to finish. How did this happen? Like, how did they put this together? Who designed these elements? And then, of course, you know, the acrobatics, you go, how is this even possible? Well, they’ve done it through repetition. They practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced it. And so that’s kind of where we are at, but without all the levels of practice.”

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Rollins also said that WWE matches are a mix of stand-up comedy, where wrestlers expect certain crowd reactions but must be ready to change things if the audience reacts differently. Wrestlers need to communicate with each other during the match, adjusting the pace and story as they go. This ability to change things on the spot is important for making sure the match is entertaining for the audience.

“So we’re like, part Cirque du Soleil, but also part like stand-up comedy. So, like, we’ve got, you know, bits, right, that we can do and go in and out of where we expect certain responses. But also, we have to be able to pivot if those responses aren’t exactly what we imagined. And so when you’re in the ring, you have to be able to communicate and call things what we call on the fly. Like, just do things, be able to talk to whoever you’re in there with and change things up, change the pace of the matchup, get people in different positions, and make sure that you’re telling the best story for your audience.”

Rollins then talked about the safety of ladder matches, saying that while these matches are intense with dangerous stunts, they are planned carefully to avoid injury. The wrestlers usually plan everything ahead of time, discussing each move to stay safe. Rollins acknowledged that accidents can happen, and these matches can leave wrestlers sore with bruises from the ladders and falls.

“Now, the ladder match you mentioned, that’s a different animal, right? So if there’s 7 guys and a bunch of ladders and crazy stunts, but the amount of on the fly going to be very slim, very slim. Like that match is going to be talked about probably in advance, maybe a day or two, a week or two. And they’ll go over pretty much everything they’re going to do as sort of an ABCD order. But that’s, I mean, it’s just a safety level is, you know, paramount. You got to make sure that people come out of that. Not, you know, they’re going to get hurt because yes, we are falling.

They are real ladders. Accidents do happen. You get a lot of bumps and bruises, you know, like you come out of those ladder matches and your back is just beat to pieces. Your forearms are just jacked up and people throwing ladders at you. And you know, if you fall off the top of a ladder onto a ring, which, you know, rings are, they got like this much padding and then it’s just steel and wood underneath it. It’s not comfortable. And like your body acclimates, you know, sort of over time, but like it never feels good. You’re never like, oh, that was an excellent fall from a 10-foot ladder.”

Despite the risks, Rollins sees wrestling as a unique art form that mixes different things. He described it as a little like Shakespeare, stand-up comedy, Cirque du Soleil, and even a Super Bowl. This combination is what makes wrestling special and exciting.

“So yeah, it’s, it’s just weird art form that we, that we get to sort of do this totally unique and I can describe it as if it’s pieces of a bunch of different stuff, but that’s not doing it justice. ‘Cause it’s really just its own thing. It’s a little bit of Shakespeare in the round. It’s a little bit of stand-up comedy. It’s a little bit of Cirque du Soleil. It’s a little bit of like Super Bowl, like football. It’s a little bit of all these things. And that’s what makes it so beautifully unique in its own sort of phenomena.”

Wrestling may not always appear as traditional performance art, but for those involved, it’s a carefully planned and highly unpredictable spectacle that continuously challenges both the body and mind and this is something The Visionary is more than aware of. While he isn’t sure how much gas is left in the tank for his in-ring career, Rollins will continue to do what he can to entertain fans no matter what.

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