For the first time in 15-plus years, “The Architect” Seth Rollins came back to say goodbye to the Berwyn Eagles Club, one of several historic buildings that built his undeniable career.

The second-ever two-time WWE Grand Slam Champion made a surprise appearance (as seen below via a video posted on X) at this past Friday’s AAW Wrestling show, “Crush & Destroy,” unleashing a thunderous response from the crowd. The audience went from singing through his WWE theme song to chanting his former independent name, Tyler Black, before welcoming him back. Rollins admitted their admiring praise brought tears to his eyes. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion admitted that something told him to make an appearance on Friday, which is the second to last wrestling show the Berwyn Eagles Club will host.

SETH ROLLINS JUST SHOWED UP AT CRUSH & DESTROY!

For the first time in 15+ years, WWE Superstar, @WWERollins returned to AAW and where it all started, the Berwyn Eagles Club as we say goodbye to the historic venue.#AAWDestroy @WWE pic.twitter.com/n3U8K6h7Tr

— AAW Wrestling (@AAWPro) April 25, 2026

Later on in his speech, “The Visionary” thanked fans for their unwavering support of not only allowing him to fulfill a childhood dream he envisioned growing up in Buffalo, Iowa, of becoming an integral part of events like WrestleMania, but by supporting him to, “wrestle in rings like this, in places like the Berwyn Eagles Club, for promotions like AAW, for promoters and human beings like Danny Daniels, and in front of fans like you, because you are just like me.”

While he remains a lifelong student in this industry, he is also honing his skills at becoming a lifelong mentor, as he owns, operates, and trains students through his Black & Brave Wrestling Academy in Davenport, Iowa. He made a plug for his school, and mentioned how thrilling it was to have some of his protégées participate in last night’s show. In his career alone, Rollins had a total of 36 matches in Berwyn Eagles Club from 2005 to 2010.

The Berwyn Eagles Club announced recently that it would not book any future wrestling events following a melee that broke out in late March between a fan and independent wrestler/MLW star Krule. The reports of this fight were conflicting, as several witnesses reported that a stabbing occurred on Krule. However, those reports were dismissed. The last show the Berwyn Eagles Club will host will be an indie lucha event on Sunday, April 26.