Backstage Note on Seth Rollins’ ‘Ruse of the Century’ Being Featured in WWE: Unreal

As previously reported, Netflix recently revealed the new trailer for WWE: Unreal, as Season 2 debuts later this month. The trailer showcased some of the key topics for this season, including Seth Rollins pulling off the so-called “Ruse of the Century” back at WWE SummerSlam 2025.

Fans will recall that Seth Rollins appeared to suffer a leg injury during his match with LA Knight at Saturday Night’s Main Event in July. At the time, the injury was reportedly said to be legitimate, with Rollins continuing to sell the injury backstage. However, rumors soon surfaced that the injury was a work, which eventually proved to be true at SummerSlam, when Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the title from CM Punk, who had just undergone a grueling match against Gunther.

During today’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer addressed the clip from WWE: Unreal and the Seth Rollins injury ruse being one of the featured topics on the Netflix docuseries. According to Meltzer, “a big part of the” basis of the worked-shoot injury angle with Seth Rollins was to create a storyline for WWE: Unreal.

This is despite reports happening by the next day about rumors that the injury was not a legitimate one. Meltzer explained, “Everyone was going, ‘It’s not an angle! It’s not an angle! It’s not an angle!’ I got called. Then, as the days went on, and I started asking around, it was very clear from everyone that nobody knew, but they were starting to come around that it could’ve been [an angle].” Meltzer continued, “Then eventually, again, I found out, like from people who were essentially outright telling me, it’s the angle for SummerSlam.”

Meltzer also questioned the talents, saying they “had no idea’ that Rollins was working in the injury, asking, “It’s like, are you in the real world? Anyone who paid attention, even if they wanted to believe, they had heard the story that this was probably [a work] — if you were following wrestling at all, you at least heard that this could be an angle.”

Additionally, Meltzer criticized WWE: Unreal, presenting the angle from the notion that WWE “fooled everyone” with Rollins’ injury. WWE: Unreal Season 2 debuts on Netflix on January 20.