The excruciating exercise of building a sports Mount Rushmore is always personal—especially when it comes to ranking franchise legends.
For five-time world wrestling champion Seth Rollins, a diehard Chicago Bears fan from Davenport, Iowa, it came down to a matter of generational preference to round out his list of the four greatest people in franchise history. It all started with “Papa Bear” George Halas.
Seth Rollins Drops His Chicago Bears’ Mount Rushmore
Rollins, known as “The Architect” to WWE fans, wasted no time breaking down his picks. Appearing on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” one of the biggest Bears fans on the planet revealed his Mount Rushmore:
We asked "The Architect" @WWERollins to build the @ChicagoBears Mount Rushmore 🐻 pic.twitter.com/q8FutyLBIh
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 24, 2025
“Number one, Papa Bear Halas. There would be no team without him. Number two, the greatest football player of all time, in my opinion—I might be biased—Sweetness, Walter Payton.”
Rollins continued, “Number three is a tough one. I gotta go with the middle linebacker, right? Do I go with Urlacher? Do I go with Butkus? I think I’m going to go with Singletary. My guy. The man. And then four is tough, but since this is my list, I’m going to go with my generation—a man who redefined the position… Devin Hester. That’s my Mount Rushmore.”
Devin Hester? Pro Football Hall of Fame Pioneer
Devin Hester’s inclusion on any Bears Mount Rushmore has sparked debate in recent years. But newer generations witnessed firsthand the greatness of the most electric return man in NFL history.
Hester was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first player enshrined as a return specialist. It was his third year of eligibility.
He scored 20 special teams touchdowns during a remarkable 11-year career—most of it spent in Chicago. His iconic 92-yard kickoff return to open Super Bowl 41 has never been duplicated and helped cement his legacy.
If you're having a bad day, here's 5+ minutes of Devin Hester returning footballs for touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/JHhwLysBmA
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) February 27, 2025
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Hester racked up six return touchdowns in each of his first two NFL seasons, including a 108-yard missed field goal return during his 2006 rookie year. His big-play ability forced opponents to kick away from him—changing the way teams approached special teams forever.
“I hope that me being here today opens up the door and brings some attention to other guys like Brian Mitchell and Josh Cribbs,” Hester said during his Hall of Fame induction speech. “Because I’m not the only returner who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m just the first.”