Former WWE Tag Team Champion Bully Ray made headlines last week when he commented on Jon Moxley’s return to AEW Dynamite. Bully Ray said that he wished that Moxley had apologized to the fans for the time that he missed from the ring while attending rehab for his struggles with alcohol.

Bully Ray was largely panned for these comments by wrestlers, fans, and pundits alike. During an interview with SI Media Podcast, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns commented on the situation.

“I didn’t actually see the take from Bubba, but I’ve seen some of the responses to it,” Reigns said (h/t Wrestling Inc). “And I look at it kind of in both perspectives. I understand what Bubba is saying only because I’ve been in these systems and worked for, you know, a billion-dollar promotion and entertainment company, being WWE. And Bubba has too and these are some of the mindsets of kind of the direction that you can handle some of these situations because, at the end of the day, we are performers. We’re entertainers and we want to be there for our fanbase.

“I mean, we continued through a pandemic, you know what I mean? Obviously, it’s a business and you know, we’re all trying to make a living. But that’s what makes our product special. For pretty much any promotion, there’s no season it, you know? So we try to give our fanbase as much as we can.”

However, Reigns went on to defend his former Shield partner.

“So I can see where he’s [Bully] coming from, but I think in this day and age, there’s not like too much kayfabe,” Reigns said. “I might be one of the most kayfabe performers out there. There’s so many cracks to see through, the blinds to see into backstage now and there’s so many people getting rumors and info and breaking this news and stuff like that. But I think in this day and age, especially with, you know, how much awareness there is for mental health and taking care of yourself and prioritizing you.”

He continued, “I don’t think he owes anyone an apology. I think the fact that he was responsible enough to do what needed to be done and also not shy away from it to help other people. You rarely talk about those people that are just, 100% inspired and motivated by what Mox did and having that brutal honesty with themselves and everyone else for the matter.

• Renee Paquette Responds to Bully Ray Comments About Jon Moxley

“I don’t think he owes anyone an apology, I see where Bubba could be coming from, in a very corporate mindset of, you know prioritizing our fans. But at the end of the day, we do so much for these fans. We don’t deliver the mail, it don’t feel good to do what we do. And obviously, it’s a choice, but it’s not like they’re just giving their money to us and we’re not doing anything. It’s a service and we’re performing that service.”

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Roman Reigns continues to feel the effects of COVID-19.

When COVID-19 first made its impact around the world, there was a lot of concern over the health of Reigns. The WWE Universal Champion beat leukemia twice and the worry was that he’d be more susceptible to the dangers of COVID-19.

In late 2021, Reigns was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was able to return to television relatively quickly but he is still feeling the effects.

Roman Reigns’ Recovery

Roman Reigns was interviewed by Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated and he admitted that while he’s glad to avoid anything dangerous, he’s still not 100 percent.

“For me, obviously in comparison to some of the worst scenarios that are out there and that we’ve seen through the pandemic, it wasn’t bad. For me, it was mainly a pretty good sinus infection, a bronchitis cough, a lot of chest tightness.

“I still feel that actually. When I’m doing my conditioning because we don’t wrestle quite as much and we’re doing a lot of six-man [tag team matches], I don’t have singles matches as much as I used to, so I have to continue to really push the conditioning on my own and I’ve noticed in the past couple of weeks that when I really blow myself up on the bike or running, or whatever I’m doing, I can feel that tightness and a little bit of wheezing.

“So it’s definitely something serious. As someone who is vaccinated and boosted, it still got to me and I still felt the effects. While they weren’t as severe as they can be for some, it did hang around and linger for a while.”

Reigns ended up missing out on the Day 1 PPV where he was supposed to face Brock Lesnar. With Reigns’ absence, Lesnar ended up challenging for the WWE Championship and he won the gold.

At the WWE Royal Rumble event on Jan. 29, Reigns will put the WWE Universal Championship on the line. His opponent will be fellow ex-Shield member Seth Rollins.

Roman Reigns is officially the longest-reigning Universal Champion in WWE history.

Love him or hate him, you must acknowledge him. On Sunday, January 16, Reigns’ Universal title reign reached a record-breaking 504 days. He’s been champion since August 30, 2020.

Reigns has commented on his historic achievement. He wrote on Twitter:

“The greatest of this generation, the best to ever hold the #UniversalTitle. The numbers, the main events, the dominant performances… they don’t lie. 504 days and counting… #GOAT”

Roman Reigns Makes History

Reigns surpasses Brock Lesnar, who previously held the record at 503 days. Lesnar’s longest reign lasted from April 2, 2017 through August 19, 2018.

This is Reigns’ second run with the Universal title. His first reign lasted 63 days. In addition to being the longest-reigning Universal Champion, he’s also held title for more days in total than anybody else (567 days). He’s a 3-time WWE Champion and has competed in five WrestleMania main events.

Reigns’ next big title defense will take place at the Royal Rumble when he defends against Seth Rollins.

• Jim Ross Credits Paul Heyman For Roman Reigns’ Success

Visit WWE.com for more statistics about the Universal Championship.

Impact Wrestling World Champion Moose wants a match with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Moose retained his title at Saturday’s Impact Hard to Kill pay-per-view. He beat Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey in a triple threat match.

Moose wants Roman Reigns

On Sunday, Moose referenced the “Forbidden Door” and said it’s time for the Wrestling God to cross paths with the Head of the Table. He tweeted:

“I Claim to be the Wrestling God. He claims to be The Head of the Table. With all this Forbidden Door talk….. what if …. @WWERomanReigns”

This is not the first time Moose has made it known he wants to work with Roman Reigns. On a recent episode of Impact TV, moose referenced the Tribal Chief.

The Impact world champion wrestling the WWE Universal Champion seems unlikely. However, it is possible.

Moose vs. Roman Reigns is unlikely, but two other champions from WWE and Impact could share a ring very soon Entrants for the upcoming Women’s Royal Rumble include Impact Knockouts Champion Mickie James and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.

Roman Reigns is medically cleared to return to the ring. The Universal Champion was forced to miss last weekend’s Day 1 premium live event after testing positive for COVID-19.

WWE announced on Thursday, “BREAKING: Roman Reigns has been medically cleared and is set to return at tomorrow’s Friday Night SmackDown. What will Brock Lesnar have in store for their explosive confrontation?”

Reigns hasn’t wrestled since a December 19th live event in Des Moines, Iowa. He teamed with his cousin the Usos and lost to Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, and Rey Mysterio on that show.

Leading up to the Day 1 show, Reigns had been pulled from several live event shows including at Madison Square Garden and shows in Florida as well.

At the conclusion of this week’s WWE Raw, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar sent a message to Reigns that he would see him on Friday on Smackdown. Lesnar had been scheduled to face Reigns for the Universal title at Day 1 before Reigns was pulled from the show.

Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship in a fatal 5-way match against then-champion Big E, Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Kevin Owens. He has also re-aligned with Paul Heyman after Reigns fired him recently on Smackdown.

Despite Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship on short notice this past Saturday night at WWE Day 1, plans for a Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania 38 are reportedly still in motion.

Some had wondered in the aftermath of Lesnar’s championship victory what it meant for the long-rumored WrestleMania match between he and Reigns. There was speculation about a possible match at Royal Rumble or the Saudi Arabia show in February. However, Lashley vs. Lesnar was confirmed for the Royal Rumble during Monday night’s edition of Raw.

Plans in Place

During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke about WWE’s commitment to presenting another Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar showdown.

“I know that they’ve got everything worked out between now and WrestleMania,” Meltzer said. (h/t WrestleTalk). “Everything is worked out. All the original plans, there were some changes obviously because the Lesnar and Roman Reigns match from Saturday didn’t happen, but they’ve got their new twists and turns, and the final destination, which is presumably Lesnar and Roman Reigns, is still on.

“Whatever the plan was for the WWE Championship match — I don’t know what it was — but they’re gonna get there, and that’s also still on. So the WrestleMania matches are the same, but the plans on how to get there obviously have changed.”

It will be interesting to see how they get to this match with Lesnar now holding the WWE Championship. There’s a possibility of a unification match at WrestleMania between the two champions, Universal title vs. WWE title.

Perhaps Roman Reigns could cost Lesnar the WWE Championship to Lashley in their match at the Royal Rumble, kicking the Lesnar vs. Reigns feud into high gear on the march to WrestleMania. Nobody can truly say with any certainty right now what will happen, but speculation is certainly running wild.

With Lesnar vs. Reigns still reportedly scheduled for WrestleMania, the third time the two have wrestled at WWE’s biggest show of the year, what other top matches do you want to see at the event?

If Lesnar no longer has the WWE title by WrestleMania, who do you want to see wrestling for that championship? Let us know in the comments section!

• WWE wants “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at WrestleMania 38

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

WWE fans should expect a lot more Brock Lesnar in the weeks ahead.

The Beast Incarnate captured the WWE Championship this past weekend at Day 1. Two days later, Lesnar reunited with Paul Heyman on Raw.

Heyman realigning with Brock Lesnar adds another dimension to his relationship with the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.

Raw went off the air with Lesnar assuring Reigns, “I’ll see you this Friday on SmackDown” from Birmingham, Alabama.

Brock Lesnar will also be on hand for next week’s WWE Raw from Philadelphia, PA.

Brock Lesnar will defend the WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble later this month. It’s interesting to see that Lesnar is still thinking about Roman Reigns, instead of being laser focused on his next challenger.

Lashley should not be taken lightly and he might be able to exploit Lesnar’s lack of focus in the lead-up to the Rumble.

Lashley has wanted a match with Brock Lesnar for several years. Last year, he shared his theory for why the match never happened (until now). You can read all about that below:

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar was originally booked for the Day 1 pay-per-view event in Atlanta, Georgia, but that match has been scrapped due to “The Big Dog” testing positive for COVID-19. Ariel Helwani first reported that Reigns is battling the virus and he is vaccinated. 

WWE has since announced that Lesnar has been added to the WWE Title bout with WWE Champion Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley, now making it a fatal 5-way. 

Reigns issued the following statement on the situation: 

“I yearn to perform tonight at #WWEDay1 to defend my Universal Championship. However, unfortunately, earlier today I tested positive for COVID-19. Due to the proper protocols I am unable to compete as originally scheduled. I look forward to returning to action as soon as possible.”

It’s been reported that WWE plans for Lesnar and Reigns to have multiple matches during this latest installment of their feud. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic first started, there was a concern for Reigns as he has beaten Leukemia and he is immunocompromised. Reigns has publicly talked about WWE taking extra precautions for him while he travels. We wish Reigns a speedy recovery during this time. 

Roman Reigns was pulled from last night’s WWE live event in Tampa Bay. Reigns had been scheduled to team with the Usos and take on Drew McIntyre, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston in the main event.

Reigns being pulled from the Tampa show comes on the heels of Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Big E, Bobby Lashley, and Seth Rollins all missing the Madison Square Garden house show the same night. Not everyone who missed the shows will have tested positive for COVID, however. Seth Rollins may have announced he tested positive, and Dave Meltzer has seemingly confirmed that to be the case.

WWE Tampa Bay Live Event Results 12/26:

• Kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn
• Xia Li defeated Shotzi
• Ridge Holland defeated Mansoor
• Smackdown Tag Team Titles: The Usos (c) defeated Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
• Cesaro & Ricochet defeated Los Lotharios vs The Viking Raiders in a triple threat.
• Happy Corbin defeated Rick Boogz
• Smackdown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) defeated Sasha Banks
• Tampa Street Fight: Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus

WWE’s RAW show tonight from Detroit has several announced matches, none of which feature talent removed from the holiday live event tour.

• The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio)
• AJ Styles vs. Omos
• Finn Balor vs. Austin Theory
• Randy Orton vs. Otis
• United States Championship: Damian Priest (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Mark Henry is just as impressed as anybody with the transformation of Roman Reigns.

It wasn’t long ago when wrestling fans grew tired of the babyface Reigns character. For years, fans believed that WWE was trying to force-feed Reigns instead of letting him develop his character organically.

Back in August 2020, Reigns returned to WWE TV after being away for a bit due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. He aligned himself with Paul Heyman and became “The Tribal Chief.”

Mark Henry Praises Roman Reigns’ Development

During an episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry was quite complimentary of Roman Reigns and his ability to transform his character the way that he has.

“Roman Reigns, you talked about this [speaking to co-host Jonathan Hood], his metamorphosis has been one for the ages. From the guy that we first saw that left NXT to the guy that was in The Shield, the guy after The Shield that they force-fed him to us as a babyface.

“They were forcing it and you could tell that he didn’t embrace it. He didn’t embrace it, that’s why it didn’t work.

“He really wanted to be who he is now and he was right but he had to go through all those other phases to be able to make people give a damn and now we have the finished product.”

Reigns has been in a high-profile feud with Brock Lesnar. Heyman had been serving as the “special counsel” to Reigns but he had also been Lesnar’s advocate for years.

On the Dec. 17 episode of SmackDown, things reached a boiling point. Reigns fired Heyman after being told he was trying to protect him from Brock. “The Head of the Table” even delivered a Superman Punch to Heyman.

Roman attempted to nail Heyman with a Con-Chair-To but Lesnar made the save. Reigns ended up eating an F5.

Reigns will put the WWE Universal Championship on the line against Lesnar at the Day 1 PPV on Jan. 1, 2022.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is scheduled to take place on New Year’s Day at WWE’s Day One PPV event. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, a series of matches between Lesnar and Reigns is currently planned.

“Regarding Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar as the main event for Day One, this is scheduled to be  a multi-match series and this being one of the matches in the series,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

This means Lesnar vs Reigns could take place again at the Royal Rumble and/or WrestleMania 38 as well as other future events.

Lesnar and Reigns have already faced each other 4x in singles matches. Each man has won and lost twice against the other.

Lesnar defeated Reigns at WrestleMania 34 and then again inside a steel cage at The Greatest Royal Rumble a few weeks later. Reigns then defeated Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018 that August and again at Crown Jewel that October.

Lesnar and Reigns also headlined WrestleMania 31. During that match, however, Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and made it a 3-way. Rollins would then win the match and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Roman Reigns won a triple threat against both Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley at Fastlane 2016. Lesnar also won a fatal 4-way match at SummerSlam 2017 against Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe.

WWE has confirmed that Brock Lesnar will be getting a rematch against Roman Reigns for the Universal championship at the upcoming Day 1 PPV event.

The beast incarnate returned from his storyline suspension on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. He took part in several segments on the show

Lesnar first convinced Sami Zayn to cash in his Universal title shot tonight and was given a championship opportunity at the upcoming event by Sonya Deville.

Sami Zayn was set to face Roman Reigns for the Universal title in the main event. Though before the bout, Zayn called in Lesnar to thank him for having his back.

Zayn mentioned how Lesnar might have an easier time facing him compared to Roman at the Day 1 PPV because the former UFC star hasn’t had a great track record against Reigns in recent times.

This upset the former Universal champion and he unleashed a brutal attack on Sami. He delivered two F5s to Zayn before getting out of the arena.

Roman Reigns made his entrance with The Bloodline when Lesnar had left. He quickly took care of Zayn and defeated him with the guillotine to end the show.

Updated WWE Day 1 Match Card

This is the third match that has been announced for the upcoming PPV after WWE confirmed that The Usos will be defending the SmackDown tag team titles against the New Day. Here is the updated card for the show:

• Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
• Triple Threat WWE Championship Match: Big E vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens
• SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match: The Usos vs. The New Day

Day 1 is going to be WWE’s first PPV event to take place on new year’s day. It will be held live from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on January 1, 2021.

Jim Ross believes Paul Heyman can be thanked for Roman Reigns’ successful shift in character.

These days, Reigns calls himself “The Tribal Chief” and demands that everyone acknowledges him. The general consensus is that Reigns’ heel persona is a hit. It’s quite the change from when Reigns was a babyface who many felt was being forced by WWE.

Heyman serves as the “Special Counsel” for Reigns. Reigns, Heyman, and The Usos together are called The Bloodline.

Paul Heyman Praised By JR

During an episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that Paul Heyman deserves credit for Roman Reigns being the star that he is today.

“Also, Heyman’s got a great eye for talent. He’s proven that time and again. He’s proving it now. He’s making Roman Reigns one of the biggest stars in WWE’s recent history.”

Heyman and JR have long been good friends. For years, fans thought there was legit heat between the two over their days doing commentary together on WWE TV.

JR has said numerous times that there was never any beef. Ross said that he and Heyman simply had good chemistry and Heyman always kept him on his toes.

Few can deny that Heyman has played a key role in bringing the “Tribal Chief” version of Roman Reigns to life.

It has made for an interesting storyline involving Brock Lesnar. Heyman had been Lesnar’s advocate for years and was always a believer in “The Beast.”

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

On WWE Raw this week, Liv Morgan implied that the reason her Riott Squad teammates had been let go from the company was Becky Lynch’s lucrative contract. The exact terms of Lynch’s contract are unknown, but she’s almost certainly making millions of dollars per year.

The salaries of top WWE stars was recently addressed in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. According to Dave Meltzer, the top guys in WWE such as Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are making more than $5 million per year.

There is one other person who is believed to be making around $4 million per year. That could be Becky Lynch, although that is only speculation. Other top talent in the company make around $2 million or $3 million per year as well.

“Regarding contract sizes, the very top people (by this meaning Reigns and Lesnar) are above $5 million per year on their guaranteed deal and another person is at around $4 million, but a lot of the top talent is now at $2 million and some at $3 million,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

These figures are just their guaranteed dollar amount. It does not include their merchandise revenue or other potential bonuses as part of their contract.

Paul Heyman believes the path for Roman Reigns is obvious.

The popular opinion is that Reigns is the best thing going in WWE. His character shifted from being what many considered to be a corny and limited babyface to a no-nonsense heel who oozes stardom.

Reigns has beaten every contender thrown his way since capturing the WWE Universal Championship back in Aug. 2020. The question is, what is there left for Roman to do?

Next Goal For Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman serves as the “Special Counsel” to Roman Reigns. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Heyman discussed what the “Tribal Chief” is targeting next.

“The next goal for Roman Reigns is clear, and that is to be better tomorrow than he is today. His goal is to be better in two weeks than he is next week, to make next week’s SmackDown better than this week, and to make the SmackDown that airs in three weeks better than it is in two weeks.

“Roman Reigns continues to set a pace and achieve levels that no one in WWE has ever or will ever achieve. The world has the privilege and joy of watching it unfold every Friday on SmackDown.”

Reigns has held the WWE Universal Championship for over 450 days. It is the longest reign in the title’s history.

Reigns is fresh off a non-title champion vs. champion match at WWE Survivor Series. Reigns went one-on-one with WWE Champion Big E. The “Head of the Table” ended up pinning Big E.

WWE Champion Big E vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns ended up in the main event of this year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event. This was the biggest match WWE could book with its two top talents on each brand – Raw and SmackDown. 

The match started out slow then Reigns dominated the majority of it. The story was how Big E wouldn’t give up and kept coming forward despite the damage he received. At one point, Reigns hit the Rock Bottom for a near fall. Reigns hit a spear for the win. 

After cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Bobby Lashley this September, Big E started his WWE Title reign. On the flip side, Reigns has held the Universal Championship since August 2020.

Reigns and The Usos have been feuding with Big E’s New Day stablemates Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston on SmackDown over the past few weeks as in this year’s Draft, Big E stayed on Raw while Woods and Kingston moved to SmackDown.

Last year’s main event featured Reigns going over then-WWE Champion Drew McIntyre from the Amway Center inside the ThunderDome. 

What are your thoughts on Reigns going over? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Drew McIntyre sees himself headlining WrestleMania 38 against Roman Reigns.

McIntyre is now a member of the SmackDown roster following the WWE Draft. While McIntyre has just arrived on the blue brand, he is no stranger to Reigns.

Back at Survivor Series 2020, McIntyre and Reigns did battle in a non-title champion vs. champion match. At the time, Drew was the WWE Champion. Reigns ended up winning the match.

Drew McIntyre was a guest on Busted Open Radio and he discussed his goal of facing Reigns at WrestleMania 38 for the WWE Universal Championship.

Make it as big as possible

McIntyre began, “I see myself in the title match. Whoever’s the champion at the time, or even better if I’m champion going into it.

“That’s where I want to be, that’s what I’m working towards and in fantasy land, I don’t even want to be near Roman until then. He is [above everyone], the roll he’s been on.

“I just wanna keep building and building and building, get some significant feuds in there, some significant character building/rebuilding and make the fans want that match.

“Make it as big as possible, take Drew McIntyre to the level Roman’s at right now, and make that match on the biggest stage possible.”

McIntyre and Reigns will be in action at the 2021 Survivor Series event but in separate matches.

McIntyre will help lead Team SmackDown along with Xavier Woods, Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, and Baron Corbin. They’ll meet Team Raw (Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, and Austin Theory).

Reigns will go one-on-one with WWE Champion Big E.

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Former ECW owner and Executive Director of Monday Night RAW Paul Heyman recently spoke to Ariel Helwani as part of an interview for BT Sport.

Heyman discussed several topics during the interview, including how he now feels that SmackDown has gotten so far ahead of RAW that the red brand is definitively the “b-show.”

“There is no rivalry, SmackDown has beaten the sh*t out of Raw” Paul Heyman began ahead of the Survivor Series 2021 PPV event.

“Raw is clearly the B Show. There is no more competition. We won. I have no bitterness towards Raw. If Raw goes sour, it hurts SmackDown. If Raw goes sour, it hurts WWE. It hurts the stock. The stock goes sour, it hurts me personally.

Paul Heyman on WWE RAW

“I don’t want Raw to do bad. I wish Raw would do even better and provide stiffer competition to SmackDown. If a star emerges on Raw that Roman Reigns can draw box office with? We have another opponent” Heyman continued, praising the man who has seemingly carried the blue brand over the past 18 months

“The problem with Roman Reigns is not the limit of his greatness. Roman’s greatness gets more defined as every performance is put forth. The problem with Roman Reigns is; we have such a limited number of people that we can viably and actually work with that people will look at and say, ‘That’s an opponent for Roman Reigns, that’s someone I’d like to see challenge the Tribal Chief.’

“That’s why Brock Lesnar’s return is so huge. We don’t have five other people waiting in the wings that automatically step up and can be a credible opponent for Roman Reigns” Heyman concluded.

It’s fair to say that SmackDown has been a better programme on television than RAW for quite some time. But, it’s interesting to hear an on-screen personality genuinely give the reasons as to why SmackDown is so definitively better.

Roman Reigns is looking to follow in The Rock’s footsteps and crossover from pro wrestling to the silver screen.

Reigns appeared on the Michael Kay Show this week to promote WWE Survivor Series. When asked about the possibility of an acting career, the Tribal Chief sounds all about it.

“We’ll have to see,” Reigns began. “I think there’s going to be some moves made here pretty soon. There’s always these speculations, these contract talks. All that pushing, that’s my business. People who can dive deep enough, I’m sure they can uncover enough stones to figure out the timeframe, but that’s something I definitely want to dabble in, I want to gain more experience, and I want to use these tools that I’ve learned.”

Reigns says WWE has done right by him, and he appreciates that. He feels the company has given him so many blessings and opportunities over the years.

Roman Reigns has an eye on Hollywood

The 36-year-old Universal Champion knows he can’t wrestle forever. He’s picked up a lot of skills in WWE that he knows will help him in other areas when he decides it’s time to hang up his boots.

Luckily, there’s already a blueprint that awaits him, thanks to people like The Rock and John Cena.

“This is a young man’s game, Reigns continued. “You can’t fall down your whole life. You have to get to a point where you can transition, where you can connect and create new, fresh, evolved content for your fan base and your supporters. I think I have the ability to do that.”

“At the end of the day, it’s about getting into that game, being thrown into that fire and seeing how you do. I have a pretty good track record with being thrown in the deep end, and if that’s what happens in Hollywood, I’m looking to swim.”

Reigns has already dabbled in acting. He appeared in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and The Wrong Missy (2020).

You can listen to Roman Reigns’ appearance on the Michael Kay Show podcast in the player embedded below:

While the Rock has shut down the rumor that he’ll be facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania next year, the hope is that the match will still take place at some point.

Reigns addressed the potential matchup this week during an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. When asked if he’s interested in wrestling his cousin, the Tribal Chief gave a straight-forward response.

“I would, yes, I don’t know if he wants it,” Reigns said. “That’s kind of something we do in our family as far as sports entertainment, professional wrestling, WWE. This is our platform, this is our family business.”

He added, “I fought one of my cousins, the Usos, Jey Uso, about a year ago. Where better to solve problems than the squared circle?”

Reigns also said he hadn’t heard any rumors that the Rock would be at Survivor Series this weekend. The event marks 25 years since Rocky Maivia’s 1996 WWE debut.

Watch Roman Reigns’ appearance on The Tonight show here:

Roman Reigns and The Rock

The Rock recently stated that the dream match will not be taking place at next year’s WrestleMania.

“There is no truth to that right now, possibly down the road we will see,” Rock said to Andrew Freund of Dish Nation. “We stay very close, myself and Roman Reigns, and I’m very happy and very proud of the work that he’s doing.”

Roman Reigns and The Rock wrestling each other at WrestleMania 38 looks unlikely. There’s always WrestleMania 39, which takes place from Los Angeles in 2023.

Shinsuke Nakamura wants to face Roman Reigns in the ring more and hopes to have an entire program with him.

The Intercontinental Champion Nakamura is set to face Universal Champion Reigns at WWE’s Tribute to the Troops show which is set to air on November 14 (Spoilers here).

Nakamura says that he’s hoping that he gets to wrestle Reigns more and eventually have a feud with him in the future.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Nakamura said that he needs a full storyline between himself and Reigns. He praised Reigns and said that he’s a luminary in wrestling, placing him alongside Hiroshi Tanahashi.

“This is a match for a special show,” Nakamura said. “After this, we need a full story between myself and Roman Reigns. Roman has a real responsibility for WWE and professional wrestling, and a responsibility to his bloodline to be the best professional wrestler,” Shinsuke Nakamura said.

“He is one of the best in the world. But I need to get the WWE world title. I need to prove I’m better than him. Roman has that fighting spirit. I want to wrestle him more, and that includes Rick Boogs vs. Paul Heyman.”

Shinsuke also talked about performing at Tribute to the Troops and how much of an honor it is for him. He said that especially as a Japanese person, he is honored to pay respect for everyone’s sacrifices and that he is happy to see respect for all races even even though Japan and United States fought each other a long time ago.

A storyline between the Intercontinental Champion and Universal Champion would be great to watch if executed properly. Will you want the two to feud with each other? Let us know in the comments.

WWE superstar Drew McIntyre believes that Roman Reigns is the best wrestler in professional wrestling today. While he wants to challenge Reigns, McIntyre also feels that now isn’t the time.

In an interview with Sky Sports’ Anton Toloui, McIntyre discussed the possibility of working with Reigns soon. McIntyre feels WWE fans want to see him and Reigns in a feud. He also thinks Reigns is the number one wrestler in the industry.

“He’s on fire. There’s nobody close to him in the entire wrestling industry, said McIntyre. He continued “…That’s why everyone keeps saying to me It’s Drew and Roman that’s obviously what’s going to happen. I’m sure it’s inevitably going to happen, but I don’t want it to happen right now.” He explained that he wants to continue to win matches and build up to an eventual feud with Reigns.

Drew McIntrye Move to Smackdown

McIntyre made his return to Smackdown after the WWE Draft on October 1st. He made his WWE debut on Smackdown in 2007. However, his first stint was unsuccessful, which resulted in WWE releasing McIntyre in 2014. Since his return to WWE in 2017, he has only competed on NXT and Raw.

DAZN’s Steven Muehlhausen interviewed McIntyre before the draft and asked if he believes his return to Smackdown brings his career full circle. McIntyre agreed and said, “I really do think that’d be the case. I’m very proud of everything I was able to do on Raw especially being champion at the height of the pandemic and leading the charge but at the same time working hard for everyone else to make sure everybody was entertained during those difficult times and be a leader, said McIntyre. He continued, “But if I did end up on Smackdown for me personally, there is unfinished business, so that could be very interesting.”

He is not involved with a feud right now. However, McIntyre will represent smackdown in the elimination tag team match at Survivor Series 2021. While it seems WWE fans will wait to see McIntyre in a feud with Reigns, he feels the wait will be worth it.

The Rock has addressed a possible showdown with Roman Reigns.

It’s no secret that The Rock has his hands full. His Hollywood schedule is quite packed and it leaves him with little to no time as far as an in-ring return is concerned. Many believe that if the stars align, then The Rock vs. Roman Reigns would be the biggest WrestleMania match WWE can pull off.

The Rock Talks Roman Reigns Match

During a chat with Andrew Freund of Dish Nation, The Rock dismissed the idea that a Reigns match is a lock, but he didn’t rule it out for the future (via Alex McCarthy).

“There is no truth to that right now, possibly down the road we will see. We stay very close, myself and Roman Reigns, and I’m very happy and very proud of the work that he’s doing.”

It all continues to improve and grow

The Rock also spoke to Comicbook and said that Roman Reigns continues to knock it out of the park on WWE TV.

“It seems like Roman, you know, I’m very close with Roman obviously, and we talk about this all the time, and I continue to encourage him to keep doing your thing, keep sharpening those skills. I think he’s doing a great job with his promo, his execution, his in-ring work. It all continues to improve and grow.”

“The People’s Champion” also said he loves the whole Bloodline era with Reigns and The Usos. He feels Reigns has taken the ball and run with it since being allowed to turn heel.

“Roman Reigns vs. The Rock at WrestleMania” has long been a topic of discussion and speculation. In fact, each man has commented on this prospective match-up numerous times. Here are some additional coverage of this dream match:

• Roman Reigns Tells John Cena and The Rock To ‘Stay Away’ from WWE

• Paul Heyman Says The Rock Contacted WWE For Roman Reigns WrestleMania Match

• Roman Reigns Believes It Makes Sense For Him To Face The Rock At WrestleMania 39 In Hollywood

• Jim Ross Talks Potential Roman Reigns vs. The Rock Match

Do you think we’ll eventually get to see The Rock vs. Roman Reigns?

Matt Riddle admits that Roman Reigns was none too pleased with him over a recent remark.

Riddle has been known to ruffle some feathers. We’ve heard reports of stars such as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and even Randy Orton at one time take issue with the former UFC fighter. The good news for Riddle is that it appears both Goldberg and Orton are on good terms with him these days. Reigns and Lesnar may be a different story.

Needle Mover

Ahead of this year’s WWE Summerslam event, Reigns told Ariel Helwani for BT Sport that he didn’t feel CM Punk was as good or as over as The Rock or John Cena.

Riddle responded to this during an interview with Bleacher Report, claiming that Reigns himself isn’t a needle-mover.

“When he’s saying ‘Acknowledge me’ or ‘I move the needle,’ no, you don’t” You’re related to The Rock. Shut up. Like, I’m not impressed, I can beat you up in a real fight. So, shut your mouth. You’re not moving needles. I’m the real stallion, RK-Bro is moving the merch, we’re moving the needle, and that’s it.”

Riddle continued, “I don’t want to say too much, I’m not trying to get in trouble. Hey, hats off to him. He’s amazing at what he does. I do like what he does, but at the same time, it’s like, get off your high horse. You’re in that spot for a reason. You’re not a bro. You’re second generation. I’m first generation.”

Roman Reigns’ Reaction

Riddle appeared on the Cheap Heat podcast with Peter Rosenberg and Stat Guy Greg this week and revealed Reigns didn’t take too kindly to that comment.

“Well ya know, I’ll do this. I’m trying not to talk too much trash anymore. I don’t wanna upset the higherups. I said something about, I’m not gonna mention an exact name, but he’s a ‘Chief of Tribes.’ I said something about him recently and he wasn’t too happy. Like I said, I’m not saying specific names. That could be anybody, that could be anybody. But he wasn’t happy. I talked some trash about me moving the needle and selling merch, and he didn’t like what I said. I thought it was hilarious but not everybody thinks like me.”

Riddle vs. Brock Lesnar? There’s Still Work To Do

Riddle went on to say that while he’d like to share the ring with Lesnar, he made a promise to Brock that he wouldn’t call him out in the media.

“I still want the match with Brock but I promised him I wouldn’t call him out anymore. He asked me not to a couple of years ago at a Royal Rumble, so I respect your wishes Mr. Beast. I won’t call you out.”

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Just two months after WWE booked the biggest match possible involving Roman Reigns, which was against John Cena, the company brought back Brock Lesnar in order for him to challenge “The Big Dog” for the Universal Title. 

The match took place in the main event of the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event. Reigns connected with a superman punch then a dive over the top rope and once back in the ring, Reigns hit a spear for 2. Lesnar fought back with some german suplexes and an F5. The referee was taken out thanks to Charles Robinson being hit by Reigns’ legs on an F5. Paul Heyman tossed the title in between Lesnar and Reigns. The end came when The Usos hit a double superkick to Lesnar then Reigns hit him with the title and a new referee counted the fall. 

After Reigns had beaten Cena to retain the Universal Title at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event in August, Lesnar made his return to have a staredown. During the SmackDown episode at Madison Square Garden, WWE started the storyline where Reigns began to question which side Heyman was on as Lesnar said that Heyman knew he was coming. 

Once Reigns left the ring, Heyman did his old introduction for Lesnar, who was smiling. Lesnar turned on Heyman after telling him to get him a match with Reigns. There is a lot of history between Reigns and Lesnar as they headlined WrestleMania 31 in 2015 and WrestleMania 34 in 2018.