Seth Rollins explanation of how his Money in the Bank cash-in happened shows he's all about the game (and how you play it)

Seth Rollins was a featured panelist at Wizard World Philly yesterday (June 2). He fielded questions from fans for about forty minutes on everything from his love life to post-retirement plans.

It's the usual mixed bag that these things are, but there are a few moments - Seth somewhat snarkily shooting down a question about scripted promos by saying he's never seen the guy asking backstage, saying there was some truth to his return promo because people who called him a weak champ before his injury were suddenly his biggest supporters while he was out - stuff like that.

One that jumped out at me was his "abridged version" of how his championship win at WrestleMania 31 happened.

The questioner asks how Seth "or The Authority" decided he'd cash-in his Money in the Bank briefcase, so we're in a weird 'Reality' Era place from the jump. Rollins answer is still wide open for interpretation, however:

I kind of saw the writing on the wall, actually, a few months before the Royal Rumble in Philly. Maybe like a month or two ahead of time, I had a feeling the way this wonderful city would respond to Roman Reigns during the Royal Rumble. I had a feeling that would carry over to WrestleMania. I knew how I was gonna perform in the Triple Threat match with John Cena and Brock Lesnar. And I just felt like I was gonna have a lot of momentum, and I also felt looking at the landscape moving forward that the most opportune time would be at the end of WrestleMania. And so, ya know, I put my two cents in and a few months later, I'm standing at the top of the ramp in San Francisco with the World Heavyweight championship.

So, obviously there's a lot more detail, but that's the abridged version. It was something that I wanted from the moment I won the briefcase and I kind of hedged my bets on it for a few months and so, thank you, Philadelphia for helping me out.

You don't need to read too much between the lines to see how the fans' reaction to Reigns played a role. One read of this is - that negative response gave Seth an opening to start politicking to be the guy appearing on The Today Show the morning after Mania rather than Roman.

Of course, Rollins is a heel, and even hinting that he lobbied to take the top spot from his former Shield brother fits right into his character as a backstabber who's top priority is always his own standing within the company.

Either way, it's a good answer - and explains why Triple H would tap this guy as his kayfabe, and maybe backstage, protégé.

source: cagesideseats.com