Paul Heyman has unveiled his pick for Brock Lesnar’s ultimate rivalry.
Throughout the years, Brock Lesnar has had some classic rivalries. Some of his matches with Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and John Cena will long be remembered by WWE fans. There’s one man who stands out above all in the mind of Heyman, however.
During an interview with SportsKeeda, Heyman explained why he views Roman Reigns as the top rival in the career of Brock Lesnar.
“Roman Reigns because we’ve done multiple WrestleMania main events between the two of them and will most likely do more. This is a really interesting situation. The Undertaker was very simple. History was made. Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.”
A Completely Different Dynamic
Heyman insists that Roman Reigns is a different animal than the likes of The Undertaker and even John Cena.
“With John Cena, that was an intense rivalry between the poster boy for WWE. The most heavily hyped sports entertainer on the face of the planet against a former NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar. With Roman Reigns, you have a completely different dynamic.”
The story behind Reigns vs. Lesnar this time revolves around Paul Heyman’s allegiance. For years, Heyman served as the advocate for Lesnar.
During “The Beast’s” absence, Heyman became the Special Counsel for Roman Reigns. Fans are now left to wonder if Heyman will turn on Reigns or if he’ll stick with “The Tribal Chief.”
Roman Reigns has made a number of significant changes to his character since his heel turn. One of the more visual changes is the golden glove he has started wearing on his right hand instead of his usual black one.
A lot of fans have speculated that it’s inspired by the Infinity Gauntlet donned by Thanos in Avengers. Though during a recent interview with Bleacher Report, the former Shield member revealed the real reason behind this change.
Reigns first claimed that while he has watched all the MCU movies, the similarity to Avengers is just a coincidence. He then explained what the glove represents:
“It’s more of a coincidence, I’m not going to say, ‘I’ve never watched The Avengers.’ No, I’ve seen all the movies, but honestly, I didn’t relate it to that. I just needed a change, and to me, the gold… it’s always been black, maybe a little bit of gray or blue.
I’ve said it before: Everything I touch turns into gold, and that was the mindset I wanted to have. That power, the design of all of it and the underlying theme of what we’re trying to do is display power at its maximum in every regard.”
Roman Reigns also discussed transitioning out of the Thunderdome era of wrestling. He revealed the one thing he misses about the pandemic era.
The tribal chief is set to defend his Universal championship against The Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar at the upcoming Crown Jewel PPV from Saudi Arabia. Click here to check out the betting odds for the show.
Roman Reigns is thrilled to be back in front of live crowds but there’s one thing he was quite happy about during the ThunderDome era.
Reigns began his significant character shift while WWE was using the ThunderDome. After being away due to concerns of how COVID-19 could put him at a higher risk due to his history with leukemia, Reigns returned with a new attitude. Reigns aligned himself with Paul Heyman and became “The Tribal Chief” of WWE.
Despite being the top heel in WWE, Roman Reigns has enjoyed big pops ever since live crowds became the norm once again. That’s because many agree that he’s the best thing going in WWE right now.
Roman Reigns Details One Positive Of ThunderDome Era
During an interview with Bleacher Report, Reigns admitted that avoiding heavy travel and being with his family more often were the best parts of the ThunderDome era.
“I don’t miss travel, man. I don’t miss being on planes. I don’t miss being in the air. The ThunderDome was nice because it was in Orlando for a bit and Tampa, so I would literally get picked up on the bus, head up there, three-and-a-half-hour drive to both, do my stuff and get back on the bus and get back home that night. That process created a silver lining and also being home with my family and my children and my wife. There’s no replacing that. I do not miss travel.”
Reigns went on to say that he doesn’t mind the trips to Saudi Arabia since it’s a one-off and he travels on a private jet. “The Head of the Table” also said that WWE takes “extreme precautions” to ensure that he is safe while traveling.
Reigns is set for a massive WWE Universal Title defense on Oct. 21. He will be colliding with Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel. The main question going into the match is, who will Paul Heyman ultimately align with? Heyman will have to decide if he is the Special Counsel for Roman Reigns or The Advocate for Brock Lesnar.
Don Callis has offered a response to Roman Reigns’ rant on CM Punk.
Reigns turned quite a few heads with his recent comments about Punk. Punk is a former WWE star who had a nasty split from the company after creative differences and issues with the lack of time off. Punk made his return to the wrestling industry back in August, aligning with AEW.
Don Callis Takes A Shot At Roman Reigns Over Comments About CM Punk
For Punk, his return has been all about positivity but Roman Reigns hasn’t been impressed by what he’s seen. Reigns told Complex that he feels Punk has “lost a step or two.” He also brought up Punk’s shortcomings in the UFC and even went as far as to say he’d “big brother” the entire AEW roster.
Callis, who manages Kenny Omega on AEW TV, took to his Twitter account to take a dig at Reigns.
What does “a built in Ground “ mean? Can Paul help with these promos please https://t.co/4suT0WdJhY
“What does ‘a built in Ground’ mean? Can Paul help with these promos please?”
Reigns’ comments come at an interesting time. On Oct. 15, AEW and WWE will be going head-to-head for a half-hour. SmackDown will be airing on FOX Sports 1 this night and will extend a half-hour. This means the first half-hour of Rampage will be competing with it.
Both companies have made efforts to entice viewers. AEW will be running the opener of Rampage commercial-free and will have a free one-hour Buy-In show (see the live steam here).
SmackDown will feature Brock Lesnar and a match between Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. The last half-hour of SmackDown will run commercial-free.
Roman Reigns hasn’t been impressed by the return of CM Punk.
Punk made his AEW debut on the Aug. 20 episode of Rampage. He received a thunderous ovation inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. He’s had three matches since his return.
Roman Reigns Not Sold On CM Punk’s Impact
During an interview with Complex, Reigns dismissed the significance of having a match with Punk in the future. While the two are obviously signed with different companies, Reigns feels Punk just isn’t as good as he used to be.
“That’s not going to elevate me at all. He’s older now. I haven’t really seen a full match. I’ve seen a clip or two. And to me, a step or two has been lost. Then also he got his ass whooped in the UFC. I don’t think anybody really believes someone 200 pounds soaking wet with no explosive bone in their body could ever really do anything to me.
“I’m 6’3, 265 pounds, a legitimate athlete who can throw some weight around and has been on the gridiron at the highest level. D1. All ACC. I probably would’ve maintained in the NFL if my health issues didn’t happen when I was 22 years old. So, I mean, when it comes down to it, I’ll throw him and pretty much the rest of that roster out the club no problem. They’re just little brothers, you know?”
This isn’t the first time Roman Reigns has been asked about CM Punk. During an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, Reigns said Punk was never a true draw for WWE in the way that The Rock and John Cena were.
On Oct. 15, WWE and AEW will be going head-to-head for a half-hour. The last half-hour of SmackDown will be commercial-free and it’ll go up against the first half-hour of Rampage.
Roman Reigns is seemingly printing money these days and WWE continues to protect IPs in relation to its top talent.
Reigns is the WWE Universal Champion. He’s held that title since Aug. 30, 2020. Reigns has been a heel ever since making his return back in the summer of 2020 and many believe he’s the best thing going in WWE. There’s no doubting that the “Tribal Chief” era has been a fresh coat of paint for Roman Reigns.
USPTO reveals that WWE has filed a new trademark for Reigns. Enter The Suplexorcist.
“Mark For: THE SUPLEXORCIST trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of clothing, namely, tops, shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies; outerwear, namely, coats; bottoms, pants, shorts, underwear, pajamas, scarves, gloves; Halloween and masquerade costumes; footwear, namely, shoes, sneakers, slippers, flip flops; headwear, namely, hats, caps; wrist bands; bandanas; championship trophy belts.”
For those who may not be aware, The Suplexorcist is a term that has been used on WWE TV by Paul Heyman. Heyman serves as the Special Counsel to Reigns.
WWE is looking to get more butts in the seats for its debut in UBS Arena.
The promotion will be bringing Roman Reigns to Long Island this November. Peep the announcement from the official Twitter account of UBS Arena.
? JUST ANNOUNCED: “The Head of the Table” Universal Champion @WWERomanReigns will be live at UBS Arena for @WWE Monday Night RAW on 11/29! #WWERAW#WWELongIsland
“JUST ANNOUNCED: ‘The Head of the Table’ Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be live at UBS Arena for WWE Monday Night RAW on 11/29! #WWERAW #WWELongIsland.”
There is no word on whether or not Reigns will be featured on TV or if he’ll simply compete in a dark match. Roman Reigns is widely considered to be the best thing going in WWE right now but he’s a member of the SmackDown brand. WWE’s UBS Arena debut will be for an episode of Monday Night Raw.
Many will take this as WWE’s answer to AEW outpacing them in terms of attendance for their own UBS Arena debut on Dec. 8. Back in September, it was reported by WrestleTix that WWE only distributed 2,365 tickets, while AEW distributed 6,167 tickets.
It’ll be interesting to see how much WWE feels inclined to stack its Nov. 29 episode of Raw. SEScoops will keep you posted on anything new announced for the UBS Arena shows for both WWE and AEW.
It seems that the announced Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel won’t be the concluding bout for their rivalry.
Lesnar and Reigns’ program is expected to extend beyond this upcoming match, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“From what we understand, and what makes sense, is this is not a one-and-done program,” said Meltzer. “For one, unless Dwayne Johnson is wrestling Reigns at next year’s WrestleMania, this would appear to be the biggest possible Mania match.”
He added, “So the idea here is to build to a return, whether that means Lesnar wins to build to a rematch or some disputed decision takes place.”
Paul Heyman’s loyalty will be a big part of how this story unfolds. Heyman has guided both men to the top of WWE and we don’t know which side he will take when the time comes.
Heyman has been the centerpiece of the storyline between these two. Just last week, Brock Lesnar announced that he had become a free agent thanks to his advocate. WWE has announced that Roman Reigns will have to defend his championship against the Beast at the upcoming Crown Jewel PPV.
It will be interesting to see which man Heyman sides with, when the inevitable choice is presented.
WWE legend Booker T has someone in mind to halt the momentum of Roman Reigns.
Many agree that since taking on the “Tribal Chief” persona, Reigns has been the hottest act in WWE. He has had a dominant run with the WWE Universal Championship. With that said, everyone has to lose at some point and many are wondering who will finally be able to dethrone the “Head of the Table.”
Reigns is set to put his gold on the line against Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel on Oct. 21. Taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T said that while it would be easy to have Lesnar defeat Reigns, it’s not the route he would take.
“For me, I’ve been talking about this for a minute now, to beat Roman Reigns you gotta really make that a moment. I always say with moments, you only get a chance to have it one time and it goes away pretty much as far as these kind of situations. Undertaker’s streak being broken, stuff like that. For me, you look at Brock Lesnar. Could he be the guy? Of course.
“But for me, I’m looking to make somebody. I’m looking to make somebody in big fashion, in a huge way. And there again, man I look at that kid WALTER and I say he’s a star. He’s what wrestling is today. He’s international, he can bring so many eyes to American professional wrestling from that side of the world. It’s not gonna be funny. I look at this thing almost like the UFC does with that Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou matchup coming up. There’s gonna be a lot of eyes on that thing, there’s gonna be a lot of money made. At the end of the day, if we’re not looking at it that way, we’re just gonna have another match and we’re gonna just flip the title, we’re gonna lose.”
WALTER had an incredible run with the NXT United Kingdom Championship. He held onto the title for 870 days. His reign finally came to an end when he was submitted by Ilja Dragunov at TakeOver 36 back in August.
WALTER remains on the NXT UK brand after not being drafted by Raw or SmackDown. WWE officials have reportedly been wanting to do something with him beyond the NXT brand. Time will tell when WALTER will get the call to the main roster.
If you use the quotes in this article for your website, please drop a h/t to SEScoops with a link back to this article.
Roman Reigns put the WWE Universal Championship on the line against Finn Balor, who was portraying his Demon character, in the main event of the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event in Columbus, Ohio at the Nationwide Arena on Peacock.
This was the first time Balor has used the Demon character since 2019. The match saw them brawl throughout the crowd so they could do a spot where Balor drove him through a table. They did a spot where Reigns hit a spear, but Balor kicked out by hitting a low blow. The Usos came out to attack Balor, but Balor eventually fought them off thanks to the announce table.
The finish was very interesting as after Reigns speared Balor through the barricade, Balor’s music played with the red light coming on. Balor fired up, hit him with a chair and kicked him through a table. However, when Balor went to the top rope, the rope broke and Reigns hit a spear to Balor for the win.
Their first match took place earlier this month on an episode of SmackDown. Reigns retained the title when Balor passed out in a guillotine. After that match, the lights turned red and there was a soundbite of a heartbeat that played.
On the September 10th edition of SmackDown, Balor’s Demon character made its return as Balor confronted Reigns from Madison Square Garden.
Reigns will make his next title defense against Brock Lesnar at the Crown Jewel pay-per-view event in October.
A massive six-man tag team match has been announced for the Sept. 20 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.
On the Sept. 17 episode of SmackDown, newly-minted WWE Champion Big E made a surprise appearance. He and Finn Balor defeated WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. Backstage after the match, The Usos attacked Big E.
As a result of what transpired on SmackDown, Big E will team with his New Day brethren Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to take on WWE Universal Champion Reigns and The Usos. The official Twitter account of WWE made the announcement.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will face Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 21st.
WWE made the match official today. The company also noted that the match, for now, isn’t for the Universal Championship. Reigns will defend the title against “The Demon” Finn Balor at Extreme Rules at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on September 26th.
If Reigns defeats “The Demon,” he will defend the Universal Championship against Lesnar at Crown Jewel.
Lesnar returned to WWE and confronted Reigns at Summerslam on August 22nd at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was inactive for over a year. On the September 10th episode of Friday Night Smackdown, he officially challenged Reigns to a match. Both have faced each other in the past. However, Reigns is currently a “Heel” and will have Paul Heyman as his manager. If Lesnar wins, he will become a four-time Universal Champion.
Roman Reigns vs “The Demon” Finn Balor
Reigns successfully defended his title against Balor on the September 3rd episode of Smackdown. Although he won, the WWE decided to have Reigns defend the championship against Balor again at Extreme Rules. However, Reigns was surprised he would be competing against Balor’s alter ego, “The Demon,” at the event.
Balor’s alter ego hasn’t competed in a match in over two years. It’s unclear why he is becoming “The Demon.” WWE also didn’t say if Reigns loses to “The Demon,” will he get an immediate rematch in the press release. The only guarantee is that Lesnar will face Reigns at Crown Jewel.
Roman Reigns put the WWE Universal Title on the line against Finn Balor in the main event of Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
Both guys were laying in their strikes and the fans were behind Balor towards the end. Balor avoided the spear with the roll then hit a drop kick in the corner and his finisher, yet Reigns kicked out. Reigns with the guillotine choke for the win.
The match was made official after a challenge that was issued by Balor last week when Reigns and The Usos hosted a family celebration. Balor interrupted them and Balor said he planned on challenging Reigns to a title match at next month’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, but he doesn’t trust anyone around here. Thus, the match was made official. A brawl broke out with The Street Profits coming out to settle the score. The babyfaces stood tall in the ring to close the show.
WWE had originally teased Reigns defending the title against Balor at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event, but John Cena signed the contract instead despite it having Balor’s name on it.
After Reigns beat Cena to retain the title at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar made his return to confront Reigns. The belief is WWE could be saving Lesnar vs. Reigns for either Crown Jewel this October in Saudi Arabia or WrestleMania 38 next month.
Finn Balor believes Roman Reigns is one special individual in the wrestling business.
Balor and Reigns are currently involved in a feud on TV. Balor believes he has unfinished business with Reigns after John Cena took his spot at SummerSlam. Balor made his message clear when he and the Street Profits cleaned house on the “Tribal Chief” and The Usos on the Aug. 27 edition of Friday Night SmackDown.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Balor said he feels fans are finally starting to see just how valuable Reigns is.
“I want to address five years ago, when I first locked up with Roman Reigns. The world was talking s— about Roman and his abilities and his performances. From the first moment we locked up, I knew he was something special. He was operating on a different level that people didn’t quite fully understand. Now people are learning he is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Roman’s proven that over and again, and the masses have accepted and acknowledged that ability and growth. His presence is just unimaginable right now.
“I remember fighting in an Extreme Rules main event in 2017. I’d done my entrance, Samoa Joe did his entrance, a few others did their entrance, and then Roman did his entrance. I remember getting goosebumps as the energy just changed. It’s more raw than the Cena reaction. The Cena reaction is one-of-a-kind, but there is something uniquely different about when Roman steps into the arena.”
Reigns has garnered praise for his “Head of the Table” character. Many believe the transition was much needed for the WWE Universal Champion’s career. For years, Reigns developed the reputation of being a “vanilla” babyface that the WWE brass was trying to force. Now, many believe he’s the best thing going on WWE TV.
Roman Reigns has hit a milestone in his career today. He officially completed one year as WWE Universal Champion after he won it from Bray Wyatt in a No Holds Barred Triple Threat match, in which he pinned the other participant, Braun Strowman. This match took place at Payback on August 30, 2020, marking 365 days officially since Reigns became champion.
This is Reigns’ second run with the Universal Championship, with a total of 429+ combined days as champion. It is also the second longest reign, ranking after Brock Lesnar’s combined reigns of 680+ days with a total number of 3 reigns.
Roman Reigns took to Twitter this morning to celebrate his career milestone. He asked fans to celebrate him as their Universal Heavyweight Champion. “365 days as Your Universal Heavyweight Champion… #CelebrateMe,” he posted.
365 days as Your Universal Heavyweight Champion… #CelebrateMe
Reigns recently was confronted by John Cena who made his return to the WWE at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on July 18 where Reigns had just gotten done successfully defending his title against Edge. Cena challenged Reigns for a title match at Summerslam, but Reigns initially rejected it. It was later made official and the two squared off in the ring again, and Reigns was able to defeat Cena to retain the title. However, Brock Lesnar’s entrance music played and he came out in a mohawk ponytail getup. He confronted him as the two stared down each other and traded some words. The special counsel for Reigns, Paul Heyman, also took to Twitter to mark one year of their partnership. Heyman said that he’s been “rescued” by Reigns. “EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO, I was rescued by Roman Reigns. In the 52 weeks that have transpired since then, the #TribalChief has redefined the medium, disrupted the status quo and titled the axis of what it means to be THEE top superstar in WWE … and we’ve only just begun!”
Paul Heyman believes that ever since Roman Reigns has acknowledged him, he’s been rescued.
Heyman serves as the “special counsel” for Reigns on WWE SmackDown. The partnership began back in Aug. 2020. This solidified the heel turn of Reigns and he has dominated as the WWE Universal Champion for over 360 days. Many believe it was a much-needed change for Reigns.
Heyman took to his Twitter account to celebrate the one-year anniversary of being aligned with the “Tribal Chief.”
EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO, I was rescued by @wweromanreigns. In the 52 weeks that have transpired since then, the #TribalChief has redefined the medium, disrupted the status quo and titled the axis of what it means to be THEE top superstar in @WWE … and we've only just begun! pic.twitter.com/R9gyaTJfZC
“EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO, I was rescued by Roman Reigns. In the 52 weeks that have transpired since then, the #TribalChief has redefined the medium, disrupted the status quo and titled the axis of what it means to be THEE top superstar in WWE … and we’ve only just begun!”
Heyman has found himself in a rough spot in regards to his role as “special counsel.” Brock Lesnar, someone who Heyman has long advocated for, made a surprise appearance at the end of SummerSlam and stared down with Reigns. Jimmy and Jey Uso questioned Heyman, asking if he knew Lesnar would show up.
Before SummerSlam, Paul Heyman told Ryan Satin that no one can serve as “special counsel” better than he can (h/t Fightful).
“This, I can do, and I dare say I do it better than anybody else,” said Heyman. “I have redefined the medium from manager to advocate to special counsel. That may be me drinking my own kool-aid, but it tastes good at the moment. I’m challenged every day to be even better.”
Though this match was announced for next week’s episode of the show, leaving fans confused about the fate of the title for the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV.
PWInsider provided some updates on the situation. The site noted that the word backstage before the show was that Balor will indeed be challenging Reigns for his title next.
According to the site, the former NXT champion is expected to be the one to face the Tribal Chief in the SmackDown brand main event at the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV.
This will allow the company to save the much anticipated Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar match for the Crown Jewel in October or Survivor Series in November.
Based on these reports, we can expect next week’s Universal championship match to set up a title match for the next WWE PPV with some sort of stipulation.
There is no word yet on when can we expect Brock Lesnar to be back on TV after his SummerSlam return. It’s likely that we will not see him on WWE TV before Extreme Rules on September 26.
Riddle caught wind of that interview and told Bleacher Report that Reigns himself isn’t exactly moving the needle.
“No disrespect to Roman, he seems like a swell fella, but at the same time, it’s like when people say they’re a good parent. You know what? If you were a good parent, your kids would be telling you you’re a good parent. 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. 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.”
Riddle has been known to ruffle some feathers. He’s had backstage run-ins with Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. When it comes to Goldberg, Riddle seems to have been able to ease tension between the two. The incident with Lesnar was reportedly due to Riddle constantly calling him out in the media. It’s said that Lesnar told Riddle to stop talking about him because they’ll never share the ring.
As far as Reigns goes, he and Riddle aren’t likely to cross paths unless this year’s Survivor Series PPV has cross-promotional matches. Riddle has hit his stride on Monday Night Raw with Randy Orton as his tag team partner. Reigns is also on a roll with his “Tribal Chief” character on Friday Night SmackDown.
Paul Heyman believes no one else could fill his shoes as the special counsel to Roman Reigns.
Reigns has seen a bit of a resurgence in his career. While he wasn’t likely to lose his top spot within WWE, many agreed he needed a fresh coat of paint. That’s exactly what Reigns has been able to receive thanks to the “Tribal Chief” character. Heyman has served as his manager, or “special counsel” as WWE calls him.
During a chat with Ryan Satin on Out of Character, Heyman said he thinks he’s the perfect person for Reigns to be alongside with.
Paul Heyman: A Lot Of People Want This Gig
Paul Heyman has been at the top of his game for many, many years. He knows better than anybody that people who fly at his altitude need to constantly push themselves and stay two steps ahead of his competition.
“This, I can do, and I dare say I do it better than anybody else,” said Heyman. “I have redefined the medium from manager to advocate to special counsel. That may be me drinking my own kool-aid, but it tastes good at the moment. I’m challenged every day to be even better.”
Heyman is an all-time great television personality. However, he knows he can’t rest on his laurels. To remain the best, he keeps a hungry mindset.
“If my promo tomorrow is not better than my promo today and my promo two days from now isn’t better than my promo tomorrow, I’m not progressing, I’m not getting better, throw me out the door and get rid of me. It’s time for me to go. The whole point is to be better tomorrow. Someone else wants this gig. A lot of people want this gig. If you don’t want this gig, you are out of your mind because this is the gig to have. I have to defend it.”
WWE has an interesting angle on its hands involving Reigns and Heyman. Brock Lesnar made his surprise return at SummerSlam after Reigns defeated John Cena. Heyman had a nervous breakdown as he had served as Lesnar’s advocate before aligning himself with Reigns.
WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar made a shocking return to the company this weekend at the WWE SummerSlam 2021 PPV event. Lesnar appeared following the main event of the show, confronting Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
The plan now is for the two men to feud heading into the rest of the year, with the added storyline incentive of Paul Heyman in the mix adding more intrigue on top of a face Lesnar and heel Reigns feud.
According to Dave Meltzer, the original plan for Roman and Lesnar was for the feud to actually take place in 2023, with the two men meeting in the main event of that year’s WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns
Meltzer reported as such on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio show, claiming that WWE wanted to have Roman vs The Rock in 2022 and Roman vs Lesnar the year after.
It was not confirmed when these plans were changed, however with AEW bringing CM Punk back to pro wrestling, it appears as though both sides will be looking to fire on all cylinders.
Meltzer did not confirm when the first Lesnar vs Reigns match for the Universal Championship will be taking place in 2021, however, the Survivor Series 2021 PPV is likely the destination for the first bout.
The Rock will reportedly be a major element of the Survivor Series event, as it marks the 25 anniversary of his WWE debut as Rocky Maivia.
WWE booked one of if not the biggest match possible for the main event of SummerSlam as John Cena challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Title.
The match had a slow start with a lot of mind games going on. Reigns beat Cena down for the majority of the match with Cena getting small parts of offense in. Cena with an AA for a near fall. Cena with the STF, but Reigns got to the bottom rope. Cena later hit an AA through the announce table.
Cena with an AA off the middle rope for a near fall. Reigns hit the spear for the win. Post-match, Brock Lesnar made his return.
Before this feud, Cena hadn’t been on WWE television since WrestleMania 36 where he took part in the Firefly Fun House match against Bray Wyatt. It was a trip down memory lane for Cena.
It wasn’t a normal match, but rather a series of segments where he went through all of his old gimmicks. The finish saw Wyatt hit Sister Abigail to Cena then choked him out with the Mandible Claw to end the match.
Cena has continued his Hollywood career while being away from WWE. He started serving as the host of TBS’ Wipeout series, filmed the second Suicide Squad movie, the Peacemaker series, and starred in the most recent Fast & Furious movie, F9.
Cena made his return at the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena where he told Reigns that he couldn’t see him. After weeks of Reigns declining Cena’s challenge for a match, “The Big Dog” finally granted it.
Big E believes that WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns deserves more credit than he gets.
The Reigns character has been a polarizing figure in WWE for many years. Many fans believe that WWE tried to shove Reigns down their throats despite constant pushback. Over the past year, however, he has turned a corner with the naysayers thanks to his “Tribal Chief” gimmick.
Big E told News 18 that he believes Reigns should be getting more props for his contributions to the wrestling industry.
“There is a lot of work that he has done to solidify being that guy a lot of people didn’t give him credit for. People do not give him enough credit him either for what he has done in-ring and his in-ring abilities. He is an excellent pro-wrestler he is excellent at his craft and he has so many excellent matches under his belt, so, I have a ton of respect for what he has done.
“I think growing up in the business, he has always had leg up but that’s not to discredit the work he has done. I am not saying he has been handed things. I have seen him work hard. In FCW, in those days he came in just like us. But you can say he got it right away. He has a certain charisma; he has a certain presence that a lot of people didn’t have that earlier, so, we always knew he was going to be someone.
“So, I have got nothing but a good thing to say about what he has done with his career and the amount of work he has put in to deserve it because it is easier to sit on the sideline and say that should be my spot but you haven’t done that work that he has done.”
Reigns is set to headline SummerSlam tonight (Aug. 21). He’ll defend the WWE Universal Championship against John Cena. Reigns says if he loses, he will leave WWE. The action will be held inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As for Big E, he is the Money in the Bank briefcase holder. As of this writing, he doesn’t have a match for SummerSlam but he has become involved in a feud with Baron Corbin, who stole his briefcase. Time will tell if he has an impromptu match with Corbin or a segment to get his briefcase back and potentially cash in.
Roman Reigns believes he knows why Jon Moxley could never be the top guy in WWE.
Reigns exploded onto the WWE scene along with Moxley, who was Dean Ambrose on WWE TV, and Seth Rollins. Together, they formed a group known as The Shield. When the group split up, all three men ended up capturing world titles.
As it stands now, Reigns is considered to be the top dog in WWE. Rollins has also established himself as a main eventer. Moxley decided against signing a new contract with WWE and made the jump to AEW.
Reigns is due to defend his WWE Universal Championship against John Cena at SummerSlam this Saturday night (Aug. 20). During an in-ring promo, Cena accused Reigns of nearly ruining Rollins and running Moxley out of WWE.
Reigns spoke to Ariel Helwani of BT Sport and responded to Cena’s claims.
“You tell me. There’s levels to this game man. John has skills, he’s charismatic, he’s a great public speaker, he has good energy, he really understands crowd reaction. When you don’t have good stuff to say, let’s just pander to the crowd and that’s what he did. It’s like a professional watching another professional and I could see, he had nothing to him. He’s just doing that spin game and they’re counting to three with me, let’s say that over. Marketing strategy, let’s condition them and do it 14 times but when it comes down to it there was nothing that he said, there was no connection there. I have no clue.
“Dean is obviously doing what Dean is doing and I think he’s happy over there at AEW but if he could’ve been the man here, he would’ve been the man here. But he couldn’t because I’m the man here. Seth Rollins is going through the same thing but he’s doing great. I can say that as someone who is doing better than him, I’m the Universal Champion, this is all mine, it’s my company. But he’s still a great talent who’s doing the best work of his career so I don’t really know man. It was quite the experience to see him out there, it was just words, a whole bunch of energetic words.”
Moxley is a former AEW Champion. He held that title for 277 days. Many are wondering what’s next for Moxley now that a rumored All Out matchup with IWGP United States Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi appears to be off the table.
What do you think Jon Moxley would be doing if he stood with WWE?
Wrestling legend Mick Foley is sticking up for CM Punk following comments made by WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
Punk has been the talk of the wrestling world lately. While nothing has been announced, Punk is expected to make an appearance tomorrow night (Aug. 20) at AEW Rampage: The First Dance. This episode of Rampage will be held inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Reigns recently had an interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport. When Helwani mentioned that Punk has long been a detractor of part-timers taking the spotlight from full-time workers in the wrestling industry, Reigns had the following response.
“… I think, man, those statements are coming from bitter people. Who possibly thought they were better than they really were. When it comes down to it, CM Punk was not as good or as over as a John Cena. Wasn’t as good or as over and moved the needle, like The Rock.”
Mick Foley took to his Twitter account and made it clear that he disagrees with Reigns and feels Punk was as good and as over as he said he was.
“CM PUNK WAS DAMN GOOD, AND DAMN OVER. With one interview he changed the course of the wrestling business. He had great matches with a wide variety of opponents on a nightly basis. When/if he returns to wrestling, he will once again be damn good and damn over.”
If all indications are correct, we won’t have to wait long to see just how much of a needle-mover Punk is in 2021. He hasn’t been involved with a wrestling promotion since 2014. His stint on WWE Backstage was through FOX, not WWE.
Who do you agree with on the popularity ceiling of CM Punk, Mick Foley or Roman Reigns?
Universal Champion Roman Reigns feels CM Punk doesn’t move the needle.
BT Sports Ariel Helwani interviewed Reigns before his upcoming title defense against John Cena at Summerslam this Saturday at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the interview, Helwani brought up Punk’s name and asked Reigns about his thoughts of Cena being in the title picture despite being a part-timer. Reigns responded by saying, “I can see it from both perspectives. But, I think you said it before. You know, the high tide raises all the boats, right? Everybody benefits. So I do think there is that strange threshold.”
He then shared his thoughts on Punk and compared his drawing power to Cena. “… I think, man, those statements are coming from bitter people. Who possibly thought they were better than they really were. When it comes down to it, CM Punk was not as good or as over as a John Cena. Wasn’t as good or as over and move the needle, like The Rock,” said Reigns.
Roman Reigns Thoughts on Part-Timers
Reigns’ thoughts on part-time WWE talent seem to have changed over the years. It wasn’t too long ago when he spoke out against part-time WWE talent being featured prominently. New York Post’s Joesph Staszewski interviewed Reigns on April 4, 2018, to promote his match with Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 34 on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisana. In the interview, he voiced his frustration with part-time talent in WWE.
“…Some people need to hear this stuff because this has kind of been a thing. Brock’s not the only part-time guy. But there are a lot of full-time guys that are never gonna, as a collective, reach our potentials if we are dominated in this portion of the year by part-time guys,” said Reigns.
It’s unclear why his opinion has changed. He will look to defend his title against Cena in two days successfully.