Why did Seth Rollins not train with CM Punk? Exploring The Visionary's early wrestling career

Seth Rollins kickstarted his WWE tenure when he signed with their developmental territory then known as Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). Wrestlers must undergo a series of immense training sessions over the years to get ready to compete in the ring. Some talent attended wrestling schools set up by veterans of the industry, and some directly signed with WWE's developmental territory to gain a stronger foothold. It is not uncommon for current or retired stars to take upcoming stars under their wing.

Seth Rollins shared an instance where he missed an opportunity to train under CM Punk. The Visionary highlighted how he made up his mind to become a wrestler when he was 14 years old. He would jump on a trampoline in his backyard with his friends mimicking moves seen on television. One day, Rollins decided to undergo official training and discovered the Danny Daniels' wrestling school.

Most of his learnings about the industry came from his time there. The former Universal Champion then moved to Philadelphia and claimed he got the chance for Punk, who was signed to WWE at the time to train him. However, things did not go according to plan as he was broke and could not afford to pay for training:

"So I actually went and got trained, I moved out to Philadelphia in a car, I packed up all my cr*p. I went out there and I was going to get trained by CM Punk. CM Punk, who was a big star in WWE and now works for the other company. No, but he — I didn't have the money. I didn't, I had no idea how to live on my own. Because I never went to college, I didn't have like, I couldn't even do my own laundry. I didn't know what I was doing. I was an idiot." said Seth Rollins. [H/T Wrestling Inc]

The two were reportedly set to feud against each other and a rivalry was set in motion when Rollins tweeted Punk to 'fight him' while he appeared on WWE Backstage. Punk responded to his and the two exchanged in a heated back and forth, however the Second City Saint's rocky relationship with the company led to his departure by then.

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Seth Rollins has his own wrestling school

In 2014, Seth Rollins joined forces with former NWA tag team partner Marek Brave to launch their own wrestling school. During his time on the independent circuit, The Visionary used the 'Tyler Black' moniker.

The Black and Brave Wrestling Academy was inspired by their in-ring names during the early years of their careers. Located in Davenport, Iowa, the school also provides candidates with accommodation on rent and other facilities.

Within a decade of its existence, one of the school's students, Ben Carter garnered a WWE contract to compete on NXT UK. He also briefly performed on All Elite Wrestling.

Seth Rollins made his main roster debut in 2012 as part of The Shield alongside Roman Reigns and Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose), and interrupted Punk's title match. Over the next few weeks, they hinted at the multi-time AEW Champion being the one calling the shots and them working at his behest. However, Punk turned the tables when when he igniting a feud. This was the only time The Visionary and CM Punk crossed paths in the ring.