Apollo Crews has gone through a drastic change in his character over the past few weeks on SmackDown. He turned heel in February and attacked Shinsuke Nakamura and Big E after losing a match to Nakamura. He kayfabe injured Big E by slamming steel steps onto his back, which forced him to take time off of SmackDown. Crews would then go on to debut a new “Nigerian Royalty” character with new gear and entrance music. Crews would do a good job pulling the character off and working with what’s given to him, even earning a WWE Intercontinental Championship match against Big E at Fastlane.

Apollo Crews talked about his new persona in an interview with Sports Illustrated, where he discussed his newfound confidence in himself. “This isn’t arrogance or cockiness; it’s just me knowing what I am capable of doing,” Crews said. “My talent has been hidden for too long, and people are finally going to see how great I really am.”

Apollo Crews also said that this new character is a chance for him to get back in touch with his Nigerian roots. He also revealed that he cared too much about what people thought of him and now his mindset has changed. He’s happy with his role, and it feels like a part of him. “I have such a different background,” Crews said regarding his lineage. “You don’t often see African representation on our show. This is a chance to get back in touch with my Nigerian roots. I always cared too much what people thought when I was younger, but my mindset has changed. I’m excited about what I’m doing right now. It’s an extension of who I am, and it feels so natural. I am stepping outside my comfort zone, and I’m so excited to do that.”

Apollo Crews also revealed that his impressive in-ring work was able to carry him throughout the indies. But once he got into WWE, he struggled to find himself in a new environment. Crews said that since he’s a shy person, it takes him some time to get familiar with a new situation. Because of this, he came accross as a generic guy and saw that fans weren’t able to connect with him. Since then, he has worked hard to build the connection and make fans care about his character.

Crews’ Inspiration from Roman Reigns

One such character that struggled to connect with fans was that of Roman Reigns. Apollo Crews said that he took inspiration from Reigns’ journey in finding his character and he’s applying what he’s learned from the Universal Champion.

“Roman does everything so well. I’ve watched and learned from him. He’s the best. Everyone wants to be in the spot he’s in, so watching him has taught me so much. I want to be that person who can captivate an audience, with an undeniable greatness. That’s Roman’s level, and that is what I am working toward,” Apollo Crews said.

Apollo Crews faces Intercontinental Champion Big E at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21.

Daniel Bryan will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at the upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view event. 

Last week’s episode of SmackDown saw Bryan do an opening segment with Reigns, which led to Bryan wanting a rematch against Reigns. However, a singles match between Bryan and Jey Uso was booked later in the night with both of them getting counted out. 

Last Saturday’s Talking Smack featured a segment with Paul Heyman and Bryan in which set up a Steel Cage Match between Bryan and Jey on this week’s episode of SmackDown. 

The stipulation along with the match was if Bryan won then he would get a title match with Reigns at Fastlane. However, if he lost then Bryan had to acknowledge Reigns as the Tribal Chief as well as say that Reigns is the very best wrestler on the face of the planet.

Bryan won the Steel Cage Match and will now be in the Universal Title match against “The Big Dog” at the Fastlane pay-per-view event on Sunday, March 21, 2021 from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida that will air on the WWE Network.

The match served as the main event of SmackDown with Reigns and Heyman watching on from ringside. Bryan won with the Yes Lock. 

Roman Reigns would go against Daniel Bryan to defend his WWE Universal Championship at Fastlane, on a condition. As it was revealed on Talking Smack this weekend, the condition that Bryan is given is that he has to first beat Jey Uso in a Steel Cage Match at this week’s Friday Night SmackDown. Daniel Bryan had to go through five other competitors in an Elimination Chamber match for an immediate WWE Universal Championship match at the same night. Reigns was able to quickly defeat Bryan by technical submission and retain the title.

On last week’s SmackDown, Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso faced off each other to decide if Bryan would get a title shot against Roman Reigns at Fastlane. However, the match ended in a double count out, so there was no clear outcome on if Bryan would get the title opportunity or not. However, with this new development, Bryan has another chance at Reigns.

Daniel Bryan Cuts Promo On Part-Time Wrestlers, Namedrops CM Punk

Roman Reigns took to Instagram on Saturday where he ridiculed Daniel Bryan’s attempts at getting a rematch. According to Reigns, Bryan’s efforts are wasted as he would end up in the same spot, anyway. He wrote, “Putting yourself through a whole bunch of a trouble just to end up in the same place. On the ground. Knocked out.”

On Talking Smack, Paul Heyman said that he had been authorised by Roman Reigns to offer Daniel Bryan a rematch against Jey Uso. If Bryan wins, he would get the title shot at Fastlane but if Uso wins, then Bryan has to admit that Reigns is the tribal chief, the head of the table, the best wrestler on the planet, the undisputed Universal Champion, and the main eventer of WrestleMania. It would be interesting to see how things go into Fastlane, a month away from WrestleMania.

Fastlane will take place on Sunday, March 21 from the WWE ThunderDome hosted at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all updates and results.

WWE went with a unique approach for the SmackDown Elimination Chamber Match. 

Instead of having Roman Reigns defend his Universal Title against 5 other stars and inside the structure, Paul Heyman had a different idea. Kevin Owens vs. Jey Uso vs. King Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro battled it out in the gimmick match to earn the right to become the #1 contender for the title. 

The chamber match featured entrants in the following order: Cesaro, Bryan, Corbin, Zayn, Owens, and Jey. 

Eliminations: Cesaro locked in the sharpshooter on Corbin, Owens hit a Stunner to Zayn, Jey connected with a splash off the top rope to eliminate Owens, Jey hit a splash to Cesaro for the elimination, and Bryan with the running knee strike to win the match by eliminating Jey.

As a result of winning the match, he faced Reigns for the title right after the match. Bryan was barely moving as Reigns made his entrance. Bryan went right for the Yes Lock, but Reigns fought out of it and put Bryan to sleep with the guillotine choke. 

Post-match, Edge hit a spear out of nowhere to Reigns and pointed to the WrestleMania sign. Thus, indicting Edge vs. Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania. 

WWE has confirmed a big match featuring SmackDown stars for the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event. 

The company had been advertising a blockbuster announcement by Paul Heyman and Universal Champion Roman Reigns for this show. That happened as Adam Pearce was trying to get Reigns to defend the Universal Title against several stars at this show. 

Unlike Raw’s WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Reigns will just have one opponent instead of five. “The Big Dog” will defend the title against the winner of the Elimination Chamber Match immediately on the same night. 

Those in the Chamber match will be Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, King Corbin, Sami Zayn, Daniel Bryan, and Cesaro.

Over the last few months, Reigns had been feuding with Owens. Their first match took place at the TLC pay-per-view event while the rematch took place on the December 24th edition of SmackDown inside a Steel Cage, and their third bout was a Last Man Standing Match at last month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. Reigns won all three matches. 

It had been previously reported that WWE didn’t have plans to feature an Elimination Chamber Match with women. Thus, speculation shifted towards Reigns and the Universal Title, which turned out to be the case. 

WWE presents the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event on Sunday, February 21, 2021 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Kevin Owens is one of the big names on the SmackDown roster at the moment. Even though some have felt he was being sidelined by WWE, his current rivalry with Roman Reigns has put him back in the limelight.

They have been going back and forth ever since. Some fans are complaining about the monotony of the feud, but it has produced some of the best matches of KO in his entire career. The two started feuding when Kevin Owens stood up to the ‘Head of the Table’ back in December. He then challenged him for the Universal Championship at TLC.

Following that, the two had a cage match and then another brutal ‘Last Man Standing’ match at the Royal Rumble. KO failed to secure a win on any of the occasions, thanks to help from Jey Uso and Paul Heyman. But the matches meant a great deal to him for a different reason.

Kevin Owens on Proving Your Worth

Kevin Owens spoke to FOX Sports about the significance of his rivalry with Roman Reigns. Owens says it’s been necessary to “prove his worth” to the WWE Universe as well as management.

“In a way, I never really felt like I had to show it to people, because I feel people know by now.” said KO. “But the nature of our industry and the way things work, and the amount of very talented people we have on the roster, just makes for an environment where you constantly have to prove your worth. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, right?”

Kevin Owens continued, “People within the industry or the company take things for granted. I think after all the years I have put in, and I am one of many… I am not just saying this about myself… but when the shows go on, the people in charge just go ‘Oh, they are gonna have a good match’. They take it for granted. They know it’s gonna be a good match, or they’re gonna be able to tell the story great, or they’re gonna be able to deliver this promo great.”

“It becomes almost as if it is expected of us, because that’s what we do. So then, it’s like… ‘Of course they had a good match’, so it’s not special. So, once in a while you have to have these special performances, that are a bit above than what you usually deliver, even if what you usually deliver is good.”

“Obviously, this story with Roman, was a big opportunity for me to do that again. And I think we accomplished it.”

WWE has already locked in their plans for Roman Reigns at this year’s WrestleMania, but a future match for “The Big Dog” is still possible in the eyes of Vince McMahon. 

It was reported earlier this week that the plan is for a big name to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar “is on the table” and it would have an interesting story not only due to their history but also Paul Heyman being involved but the match is likely not happening this year.

Lesnar hasn’t appeared on WWE programming since WrestleMania 36 and his contract quietly expired around that time. His current status was first revealed when the company pulled his merchandise in August. 

The belief is that he will make his return once WWE is allowed to have fans in attendance at their shows going forward, which WrestleMania 37 will have, but no other events are expected to have the same until later this year.

There’s been no word yet on exactly when he’ll return. He’s also in Canada, and just like John Cena, there are travel restrictions in place that will prevent him from coming into the United States without quarantining.

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the Royal Rumble show from this past Sunday. During the event, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens had a hellacious Last Men Standing match; with the ending of the bout unfortunately coming under scrutiny for an unexpected issue.

Roman Reigns was handcuffed to one of the lighting rigs and Paul Heyman had to unlock the cuffs whilst the referee counted Roman out. Unfortunately the referee had to stop the count at 5; as Roman was still stuck with the handcuffs just not playing ball. Bully Ray discussed how much he enjoyed the Last Man Standing match, and how the ending shouldn’t detract from the bout itself.

“One of the most enjoyable Last Man Standing matches I’ve ever seen” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Great, great car crash. And I’ve been in a few Last Man Standing matches that I’m very, very proud of; because of the psychology I was able to attach to the match, and how things made sense. It wasn’t just gratuitous violence for the sake of it.”

Bully Ray on The Last Man Standing Match

“The Rumble was very entertaining” Bully continued. “Kevin Owens…no matter when KO gets handed the ball? He finds a way to score with it. This is tailor made for him, he loves this stuff. Roman stepped up to the plate, whether you get Roman in a regular wrestling match or these Last Man Standing matches? He is shining through.”

Bully Ray then discussed the unfortunate botch at the end of the match. “Every once in a while, something goes wrong” Bully stated. “Something that you try to make sure won’t go wrong, but it just happens, it’s a broken play. And in that moment in time either something was wrong with the key or the lock. And I know people are harping on the second referee coming in and starting to count.”

“Actually, that’s what the referee HAD to do, he has to start counting. The problem is that he STOPPED counting. He got to five and realised, ‘Paul still doesn’t have the cuffs off.’ So, in that moment in time. What do you do? How do you cover it up? It is an absolute split second decision. So what the WWE did, they panned out. They got the referee out of the shot, and they focused on the handcuffs.”

Roman Reigns and Corey Graves ‘Covering’

“Roman was able to squat and get on his feet and Corey graves did a phenomenal job of covering it up” Bully continued. “Saying, ‘well, Roman is in a seated standing position.’ People took to social media so hard about that it’s almost like they were looking for the WWE to fail. And they found that moment in time to go ‘there, you see! That ruined it all! The booking, the creative, the psychology! It was all ruined, all ruined.’ How in the hell can you take that performance of those guys busting their asses and throwing their bodies around, this that and the other, and then harp on a mistake that is extremely difficult to cover up?”

• Edge On Potential Reunion With Christian – “It Needs To Happen”

Bully Ray then finished by discussing how Paul Heyman would’ve felt in the situation, with Ray having known Paul for many years since their days in ECW. “Nobody’s anticipating the key not working. And those guys are trying to stay cool, calm and collected. You have no idea the panic that runs through your mind when that happens. Paul was most likely, from what I know of Paul Heyman, a mental mess when those cuffs wouldn’t come undone. And you have to stay in the moment, not freak out.”

Do you think that the handcuff botch distracted too much from the finish of the Last Man Standing match? Do you agree with Bully Ray that it didn’t? Let us know in the comments

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will be challenging Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that that Royal Rumble winner Edge will be Reigns’ opponent.

“Not sure when this will be officially announced, but Roman Reigns vs. Edge is the planned main event at WrestleMania,” Meltzer wrote. “The Bianca Belair match isn’t 100 percent right now.”

The WWE Hall of Famer worked his first match in months at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view event by entering the Men’s Royal Rumble Match at number one. He lasted more than 58 minutes and last eliminated Randy Orton to win the event.

At the Royal Rumble, Reigns successfully retained his Universal Championship against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match.

Edge had been on the sidelines when he ended up tearing his triceps last June. It also marked the second straight year that Edge made his return at this event. Last year, Edge made his surprise return to the ring since being forced to retire in 2011.

It is unclear at this point who Women’s Rumble winner Bianca Belair will be challenge at WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 37 takes place across two nights on April 10 and April 11 in Tampa, FL.

The third and likely final match for the foreseeable future between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens was memorable. 

Reigns put the Universal Title on the line against the SmackDown star in a Last Man Standing bout. at the Royal Rumble. The match saw Reigns toss him off the platform with all of the screens through tables. Owens crawled to the backstage area, but Reigns ran him over in a golf cart. Owens climbed a forklift and hit a swanton bomb off it. 

Owens handcuffed him to the stage support beam, but Reigns shoved the referee into the beam. Moments later, Paul Heyman came out to let Reigns free. Reigns locked in the guillotine choke to make Owens pass out for the win.

Their first match took place at last month’s TLC pay-per-view event where “The Big Dog” walked out victorious. The rematch took place on the December 24th edition of SmackDown inside a Steel Cage that also saw Reigns retain the title. 

It appeared that WWE was moving on from this feud, but that wasn’t the case. WWE held a Gauntlet Match on the January 8th edition of SmackDown that featured Daniel Bryan, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, and Rey Mysterio. 

It was later revealed that WWE agent Adam Pearce would be the final competitor after Paul Heyman pulled some strings so that way he could face Nakamura. The plan went accordingly as Uso and Reigns beat down Nakamura, which allowed Pearce to win and become the #1 contender to the Universal Title.

A few weeks passed by that eventually led to Owens replacing Pearce and he was declared as the new challenger. 

What are your thoughts on Roman Reigns retaining the Universal Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Roman Reigns has become the flag bearer of WWE after John Cena and many fans believe that the current Universal Champion is the epitome of how the company has changed in the last two decades.

A lot of people think that he would have not risen through the ranks as he has done during the Monday Night Wars era, but the former WWE Champion believes that it would have been too easy to compete during the Attitude Era.

Reigns made these comments during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated and claimed that it’s a real challenge to be PG and not go the ‘cheap route’:

“To be honest, and this is gonna make some good headlines, but it would’ve been too easy, I feel like [John] Cena said it before. It’s a challenge to be PG. It’s a challenge to not have to go the cheap route.

Being able to shove everything up everyone’s ass, to do that stuff, to just chug beers—and I’m not taking anything away from the performance and the physicality of what they did and the stories they told in the ring—these guys were great performers and great in-ring wrestlers.” according to the Big Dog, “But the character development was easier.”

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

Roman Reigns Says The Business Is Bigger Now

The former Shield member continued by saying that the things they do now are more challenging and that’s why the business is bigger compared to that time:

“If I could just start chugging bourbon and smoking cigars, imagine what my character could be. We could go even further on this mob boss thing. It’s more challenging what we do now. It’s the facts.

That’s why the business is bigger. That’s why we have a bigger platform now. And that was all due to the work done before us to get us to this point, but at the same time if we don’t do it the way we do it now, it wouldn’t be that way. It was a different time.”

During the same interview, Roman Reigns also responded to Undertaker’s comments about the current generation of wrestlers. You can check out his thoughts on the matter at this link.

What do you think about the Tribal Chief’s remarks about the current era? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

WWE Superstar Big E recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. During the show, Big E would discuss a number of different topics regarding his ongoing WWE career and being Intercontinental Champion.

Big E was previously a heavy favorite to win this weekend’s Men’s Royal Rumble match. However, when Big E won the IC title on the Christmas Day episode of SmackDown his odds shifted and he is now down the rung quite a bit. Despite this, Big E did mention during the podcast that his wish is for a WrestleMania match against ‘The Big Dog’ Roman Reigns.

Big E on WrestleMania Wish List

Paquette asked Big E how he feels about potentially facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania; with Renee saying that this a match that the fans ‘want to see.’ “When you look at the WWE pecking order, he’s at the very top” Big E began. “Having that match is the biggest moment, and I hope we’re at a point in another month or two, where I feel like I’m established enough and I’m hot enough where it makes sense.”

• Possible Spoiler For Surprise Royal Rumble Entrant

“In the same vein, I have no idea what the plan is” Big E continued. “I also want this to feel earned. I think sometimes you get too much too soon. That’s also weird to say for someone who’s been around for eight years, I don’t feel like I just came up and they just handed me this world title opportunity, but like obviously gun to my head? [My dream WrestleMania is] a match with Roman for the World Title.”

Would you like to see Big E in a main event run? Do you think that he’ll get a shot at Roman Reigns at the Universal Championship at some point? Let us know in the comments

Roman Reigns is the latest WWE star to give his take about the recent controversial comments made by The Undertaker. 

The Undertaker said during an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience that younger wrestlers “lack an edge to them” and that the current WWE product is “soft.” Goldberg agreed with this as well when he appeared on the latest episode of After The Bell with Corey Graves.

The Universal Champion spoke with Sports Illustrated about this topic. 

“It’s strange. I really feel like he misspoke. Because Mark is a really good guy. He’s very knowledgeable. Obviously, he has a ton of respect for the business. Goldberg is just Goldberg. Who cares? But he’s talking about guns and knives in the locker room. Come on.”

Reigns stated that the older generation traveled just like they do now and doesn’t think TSA would let wrestlers travel with weapons these days. He noted that he has chosen to play video games on his own time, but not at work.

He stated that he’s trying to network and politic while at work while other wrestlers stay in the locker room. He brought up how The New Day can get away with playing games at work. He hopes the younger guys don’t fall into that because they’re not all the same. 

Reigns stated that he puts his mind into work when he goes to events and sometimes he needs a reminder to shut his mind off when he comes home to stop thinking about it. 

The Big Dog stated that he doesn’t always think there should be video games in the locker room, but due to their hectic schedule, he would rather have “my guys be playing video games than breaking into a bag of some sort.”

Reigns continued, “It’s a different time and I think we’re smarter. I think you’re gonna see that from the financial side of it, from how we save our money, how we prepare for the future, having a life after the business when we can’t fall down anymore to our actual health. I think it was just like a retired guy trying to sound gangster.”

Reigns will defend the Universal Title against Kevin Owens in a Last Man Standing Match at the Royal Rumble. 

Triple H spoke with the Hindustan Times this week to promote WWE Superstar Spectacle. During the discussion, The Game spoke Brock Lesnar’s WWE future, a potential Roman Reigns vs. The Rock ‘dream match’ and more.

Triple H recently returned to the ring on an episode of WWE Raw. This has prompted questions about his status for April’s WrestleMania 37 pay-per-view. Triple H gave the famous “never say never in WWE” reply.

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was recently diagnosed with Covid-19. McIntyre’s absence resulted in him being called upon to lace up his boots on short notice. He says, “you hate to pass up that opportunity” to entertain WWE fans. As for WrestleMania, “we’ll see.”

Triple H on Brock Lesnar’s Future

Brock Lesnar is no longer under contract, but WrestleMania season is upon us. WWE likes to reach out to part-time legends to fill out the top matches on their biggest show of the year. When asked about Lesnar’s status for WrestleMania 37, Triple H says it really comes down to what Brock Lesnar wants to do.

“One of the things I have learnt about him is Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do,” said Triple H. “Nobody can talk him into doing things differently. So time will tell. If wants to show up at WrestleMania he will, if he doesn’t he won’t. The only way to get that answer is to call Brock Lesnar.”

• Should AEW Sign Brock Lesnar? “Everybody Has Their Damn Price”

Roman Reigns vs. The Rock

Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is a WrestleMania dream match that both men are interested in. There’s no question that Reigns vs. The Rock is the biggest marquee match WWE could assemble. However, The Rock is the biggest movie star in the world with a very busy schedule. Much like Triple H said about Brock Lesnar, The Rock’s in-ring future is entirely up to him.

“If The Rock can make it happen, he looks in shape, I am sure he would love to do it if his schedule permits. He works hard. The only person that works more than The Rock is Vince McMahon. If there is a will and a way, he will make it happen and WWE will do everything. If fans want to see it, we will make it happen. But it really comes down to does The Rock want to it and does he have the time to do it.”

Triple H added that whatever adrenaline rush The Rock gets from making movies, there’s no way it compares with the rush he’d get from competing in the ring.

Visit Hindustan Times to check out the full interview with Triple H.

Roman Reigns says he still keeps in touch with former Shield partners Seth Rollins and Jon Moxley.

The Shield was undoubtedly one of the biggest forces in WWE over the past decade. The iconic trio created memorable moments right up until their split. Even after they went their separate ways, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Jon Moxley crossed paths many times.

All three men are now huge singles stars. They are also at different stages of their careers. They are not traveling the world together anymore, but Roman Reigns tells Bleacher Report that they are still friendly and keep in touch.

Especially with both Seth Rollins recently becoming a father and Jon Moxley’s wife due later this year, they have a lot in common to talk about. Rollins and Becky Lynch recently became proud parents of a beautiful baby girl, Roux.

Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Jon Moxley

Roman Reigns says the Shield brothers keep in touch via text messaging. They bond about family life and fatherhood.

“We talk here and there,” said Reigns. “Especially with Seth having a new baby and stuff, and I have so many kids. It’s funny because they’re just getting their first one. I have five kids, so I have a legitimate household here… Me and Seth were texting back and forth a few weeks ago. Me and Jon text a little more sporadically.”

Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette are expecting their first child together. Roman Reigns messaged to congratulate them when he learnt the news, and Moxley, in return, asked him for tips on being a father.

“It’s pretty out there anyways that me and Mox were super-tight,” he said. “We traveled together even when we split up. We were drinking buddies, the whole nine. I got a lot of cool moments with Mox. But actually I talk to Seth a little more than I talk to Mox right now. He’s off doing his thing.”

“Probably when I found out he was having a baby was when I texted him, when I found out they were pregnant. He’s funny. He goes, ‘What the heck am I supposed to do?’ ‘It’s simple, man. You feed them, you change them, you love them. That’s it.’ He texts back, ‘You make it sound so simple.’ We’re all still good, dude.”

Visit Bleacher Report to check out the full interview with Roman Reigns.

• Jon Moxley: “If WWE Called, I Would Listen”

Roman Reigns had been wanting to use his guillotine submission maneuver for a long time. However, the “process of the creative” did not allow him to implement the move up until recently.

Reigns added another layer to his new ‘Tribal Chief’ persona when he used a new guillotine submission maneuver to sleep Braun Strowman on the October 16 episode of SmackDown. He has used the move several times ever since, including on his latest rival, Kevin Owens.

Speaking with Bleacher Report for an exclusive interview, Roman Reigns revealed that the UFC has been a huge inspiration behind the finisher. He admitted to being an MMA fan and finding the guillotine choke to be one of the simplest mixed martial arts moves that one could bring over to pro wrestling.

“I thoroughly enjoy watching MMA, especially over the pandemic, I feel like UFC has been on TV far more for whatever reason. I’ve gotten into it the last couple of years and it just seems like every single card, somebody wins with the guillotine. It’s the simplest move. It’s the simplest submission ever. You just crank it in there and squeeze and wrench back.”

• Update On Planned Feud Between Roman Reigns And Daniel Bryan

Roman Reigns: I’ve Been Wanting To Use That For Years

Roman Reigns was surprised that not many people in were using the move. He revealed that he tried to discuss a submission finisher for himself in the past. He got turned down and wound up using the spear instead.

“I’ve been wanting to use that for years,” he said. “No one’s to blame, it’s just the process of the creative. It’s like, ‘What if I just pulled out a submission?’ I’ve been saying that for years. Everybody knows the Spear. The producers that I work with all the way up to [Vince] said, ‘I think the finish would be better with a Spear.’ That’s great because for years we built that spear up and up.”

This time, he decided to ‘pull the trigger’ on it and do it anyway.

“There’s going to be a lot of different ways to go in and out of it. It just makes sense and nobody’s really using it. Really, I’m at the point where it doesn’t matter who’s using it, I’ll just use it anyway. The submission was something I wanted to use for quite some time, and I finally pulled the trigger on it.”

Roman Reigns also revealed in the interview how his ‘Head of the Table’ moniker came to be. Turns out, it was an in-ring improvisation by Reigns himself during his confrontation with Jey Uso early on in heel run.

Visit Bleacher Report to read their full interview with WWE Universal Champion, Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns has been WWE’s marquee star for over half a decade now and in the time he has main evented WrestleMania for not one but four times against opponents like Triple H and The Undertaker.

The current Universal Champion recently had a detailed interview with Bleacher Report where he shared thoughts on a wide variety of topics.

During the interview, Reigns also revealed his favorite match of the Grandest Stage Of Them All and he picked up his WrestleMania 31 match with Brock Lesnar as the one:

“I’d probably not want to do it again because it was brutal; I was a much younger man back then. But that match, to me, was an instant classic unlike, really, any other sports-entertainment match.”

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

Reigns explained that the bout had a bit of something for everybody and while his other WrestleMania matches have all been great, there was something special about his fight with The Beast Incarnate:

“The matches we had as The Shield, and then the match I had coming back against Drew McIntyre after some time off to handle my health, that was very special, too. But there’s something very special about WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara. And I was in the 49ers stadium, so that was kind of the cherry on top.”

Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble to earn a shot at Brock Lesnar’s WWE championship. However, he wasn’t able to win the title at WrestleMania. Seth Rollins cashed in his Money In The Bank contract in the middle of the bout and went on to win the championship.

While a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock is not likely for the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event, the current Universal Champion has not given up on the idea and he has a very interesting location in mind for this mega bout.

WWE recently confirmed the location and dates for the next few editions of the Show Of Shows with WrestleMania 39 being planned for Los Angeles.

During a recent interview with Fox Sports, Roman Reigns talked about a potential match with his cousin and said that it makes sense for them to face off when WrestleMania returns to Hollywood:

“We’ll go to Hollywood for WrestleMania 39, and I think it just makes sense, he’s the biggest box office attraction for the big screen.

So, to be able to take that and match it up with the biggest box office attraction in sports entertainment, I think some magic would be made.”

• The Rock Says He’s Open To Wrestling Roman Reigns (Video)

A match between Roman Reigns and The Rock has been in discussion for a few years now and the People’s Champion also showed interested in squaring off with the Big Dog last year.

Though due to the movie commitments of the Hollywood star, the match will require a lot of planning. So a destination such as WrestleMania 39 seems to be a much more likely scenario for the bout than a closer date.

Even though Steve Austin hasn’t wrestled for nearly two decades, he’s kept in tune with WWE programming. 

The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote “Straight Up Steve Austin” season two premiere on the USA Network.

During the interview, he spoke about the pairing of Paul Heyman and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. 

“That’s such a great package. They compliment each other so well,” Austin said. “Roman can work his ass off. He’s always been very solid in the ring, but now there’s this bond and this chemistry between Roman and Paul. That’s what Paul Heyman does. He makes anybody he’s with that much better.”

Austin recalled it happening for him as well with Heyman. He noted that if you want to suspend your disbelief, but you can’t because Reigns gets help from Heyman with his knowledge. He called the presentation and chemistry as these two stars together look and sound like money. 

Heyman serves as the legal counsel for Reigns on WWE television and has been doing so since August when Reigns turned heel after his surprise return at SummerSlam. 

Roman Reigns Receives Unexpected WWE Royal Rumble Opponent

Adam Pearce admits he’s not in the prime of his career, but he’s ready to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble.

Pearce earned the title shot on Friday’s SmackDown. He was the last man standing in a Gauntlet Match that also included Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Sami Zayn, King Corbin and Rey Mysterio.

The 42-year-old WWE producer now has a date with destiny. On Sunday, Adam Pearce tweeted video of a match he believes shows off the fighting spirit he will bring to the Rumble.

He wrote, “Of course I’m not in my wrestling ‘prime’ – I haven’t had a match in 6+ years! But I didn’t ASK for this. With no choice but to fight, I’ve got to do whatever I can to make Roman feel EXACTLY like I did at the end of this match many years ago.”

The match, seen below, is Adam Pearce defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Brent Albright from August 2008.

Pearce continued, “And yes, I lost that match. Lost a championship that meant a lot to me. Lost a piece of myself. But in the process I learned a lot. A lot about me. A lot about the agony of defeat. A lot about how to avoid it. Again, I NEVER wanted this. But sleep on me, I beg you.”

Adam Pearce faces WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, January 31st. The event airs live on the WWE Network.

With just weeks until WWE’s next big pay-per-view event, the company has decided who Roman Reigns will face at the Royal Rumble. 

The company announced heading into Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX that the reveal of this contender would be determined. 

WWE held a Gauntlet Match on this show that featured Daniel Bryan, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, and Rey Mysterio. It featured Mysterio and Zayn starting things off with Mysterio going over.

Nakamura then eliminated Rey, Corbin, and Bryan. It was later revealed that WWE agent Adam Pearce would be the final competitor after Paul Heyman pulled some strings. Uso and Reigns beat down Nakamura. Uso superkicked Pearce then pulled him onto Nakamura and the referee counted the three. 

Pearce was victorious, which means he earned the right to challenge Reigns for the WWE Universal Title at the upcoming event. It will be interesting to see if WWE pulls Pearce, who hasn’t worked a match in years, from the bout. 

WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on January 31, 2021 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida that will air on the WWE Network. 

It was reported a few months ago that WWE had plans for Bryan to challenge Reigns for the title at either TLC, which didn’t happen, or Royal Rumble. However, plans were later changed with “The Big Dog” entering a program with Owens.

The highly-anticipated showdown between Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens took place in one of the top matches featured on the card of Sunday’s WWE TLC pay-per-view event. 

Reigns put the WWE Universal Title on the line against Owens in a TLC Match. The contest had a brawling style with various yet expected weapons being used such as tables, ladders, chairs, and steel steps. Jey Uso was taken out after attacking Owens as “KO” hit him with a steel chair a few times. Uso later returned to stop Owens from climbing a ladder. 

Once again, Owens appeared to take out Jey with a powerbomb through the announce table. Owens buried him with objects at ringside. Reigns hit a powerbomb to Owens on a ladder in the corner then through a table on the floor.

At one point, Reigns went for a spear on the floor, but Owens moved and Reigns went crashing through the barricade. The finish saw Reigns connect with a low blow then applied the guillotine choke to Owens until he passed out. Reigns grabbed the title for the win. 

Reigns had been in a feud with Jey Uso for a few months before beating WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at last month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view event. 

This program started on an episode of SmackDown following Survivor Series in which Jey worked a match against Owens that led to the cousin of “The Big Dog” getting himself DQ by hitting Owens with a steel chair.

This led to Owens getting back at Uso by hitting several Stunners the calling out Reigns. The following week, Owens doubled down by challenging Reigns to this bout for the Universal Title, which Reigns accepted the challenge. 

Backstage News On Who Is Writing Roman Reigns’ Promos

Roman Reigns reinvented himself after taking a hiatus for several months and returning this past August at SummerSlam as he has turned into a heel character. 

In addition to being a bad guy, he’s also aligned himself with Paul Heyman while being billed as the ‘Tribal Chief.’ Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that while Reigns has built a relationship on-air with Heyman, he’s also built a relationship with him backstage in WWE. Heyman is behind much of what Reigns is saying in his promos.

“While Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns have forged a strong on-air relationship in recent months … much of what Roman Reigns is saying in promos has been written by Heyman as well.”

Michael P.S Hayes has also been very hands-on with Roman Reigns behind the scenes. Hayes has been working as Reigns’ agent and produces his big pay-per-view matches.

Reigns is slated to make his next title defense as the WWE Universal Champion against Kevin Owens in a TLC Match at Sunday’s TLC pay-per-view in St. Petersburg, Florida at Tropicana Field.

Although not confirmed, there have been reports about Reigns possibly facing Goldberg next year after their WrestleMania 36 match was nixed at the last minute. 

• “Roman Reigns Is The Most Believable Guy In The Business”

Rumors abound that WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will be clashing with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at next year’s WrestleMania 37. However, this matchup may only take place if The Rock’s hectic Hollywood schedule allows for it. WWE is already planning for a WrestleMania main event that does not involve The Rock.

Daniel Bryan, Goldberg and Big E have been discussed as a potential opponent for Reigns, as first reported by WrestleTalk. For fans hoping that Goldberg is a long-shot possibility, think again.

Roman Reigns: You’re Next!

The 53-year-old legend appeared on WWE’s digital show The Bump on Wednesday. He called out the Universal Champion and declared, “So Roman, it’s coming, and I’m coming for you … Roman Reigns: You’re next!”

Goldberg’s WWE contract runs through 2022 and calls for two matches per year. Reigns and Goldberg were set to clash at WrestleMania this past April, but Reigns pulled out at the last minute due to Covid-19 concerns.

The Rock’s Schedule

The Rock’s busy movie schedule is the primary factor standing in the way of a showdown with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Additionally, insurance issues amidst the coronavirus pandemic further complicate the chances of having The Rock return to wrestling on the “Grandest Stage of them All.”

A match between Reigns and The Rock would likely be predicated on Reigns’ current ‘Head of the Table’ storyline. Reigns has assumed the role of “Tribal Chief.” It’s a position The Rock may take issue with if a match takes place.

Roman Reigns faced off against Drew McIntyre in a Champion vs. Champion match up at Survivor Series. Reigns would win the bout via technical submission after interference from Jey Uso. This contentious victory leaves a thread that WWE could revisit if plans to feature The Rock fall through.

The much-anticipated match between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan will be taking place at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV according to reports from Wrestling Observer Radio.

At one point it appeared that the bout was being projected for the TLC event but then reports suggested that the company could hold it off for a later date. Officials seem to have backed out of idea in recent weeks as well.

Coming out of this Friday’s episode of SmackDown, it appears that Roman Reigns will be defending his title against Kevin Owens at the upcoming PPV.

Owens took on Jey Uso on the latest episode of the show as a way to get Roman’s attention. He then had an intense verbal exchange with Reigns’ associate Paul Heyman on Talking Smack.

On the other hand, Daniel Bryan went up against the Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn on the show. He lost the bout via a count-out and Bryan will likely need to be built up for a match against the Big Dog after the TLC PPV.

Though Dave Meltzer discussed how the former world champion has been involved with SmackDown’s creative lately and according to the wrestling journalist a lot of what’s happened to Bryan ‘is his own doing.’

With that said, it’s possible that Daniel Bryan has some ideas on how he wants this feud to unfold and it’d be interesting to see how things pan out leading to the Royal Rumble PPV.

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