Longtime WWE veteran Goldust recently took to Twitter and issued out a lengthy statement thanking fans for their support over the years. The wording sounds very much like he’s retiring from in-ring competition and switching over to a role that allows him to help talent and pass on his knowledge to the next generation.
You can read Goldust’s statement in the Tweet below:
Goldust has long been teasing a change to his WWE role for quite some time on Twitter. It should be noted that WWE.com still lists him as a member of the RAW roster.
Roman Reigns Remembers His Late Brother Rosey
Today marks one year since the passing of former WWE Superstar Matt “Rosey” Anoa’i, who passed away at 47-years-old due to congestive heart failure in Florida. His brother, current WWE Superstar Roman Reigns, took to Twitter to say some words of remembrance:
I miss my Brother so much. He will be forever loved and never forgotten. #RIPMatt
– Back in December Roman Reigns claimed in a WWE Network special interview with Corey Graves that he was the best in-ring performer in the world today. A month later, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) star Kenny Omega responded:
“It is what it is, and I understand that it’s a fun thing for fans to generate interest in the product,” Omega said. “I take absolutely zero offense in him saying it. Especially, since it’s quite clear that the fact of the matter is much, much different.”
It seems The Cleaner has taken the time to respond to WWE’s Big Dog yet again. Reigns recently Tweeted out the following statement:
If Reigns and Omega want any shot at having a match, it’d have to be in NJPW as The Cleaner has been very vocal about not wanting to leave his current promotion.
Discussion: Do you think this could lead to anything between Omega and Reigns in the future? What are the odds The Cleaner makes his way to WWE when his current deal in Japan is up? Do you even want to see Omega in WWE?
– WWE posted the following video of Daniel Bryan watching his first televised match with the company against Chris Jericho. The match happened on NXT, when the show was still a competition series, and Bryan wound up losing to Y2J via submission. Check it out here:
WrestleMania 34’s main event left a lot of people scratching their heads – and rightfully so.
WWE has been planning this Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns storyline for the past four years. It all kicked off at WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans when Lesnar became the first person to ever defeat The Undertaker at The Show Of Shows.
Lesnar would go on to win the WWE Title while Roman Reigns continued to climb the ranks within the company. Last year at WrestleMania 33 Reigns picked up the biggest win of his career when he became the second person to defeat The Undertaker at the event.
Now the stage was set for the only two men to have ever defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania to clash themselves at the event for the Universal Championship. Fans expected WrestleMania 34 to be the event in which Reigns finally dethroned The Beast and took his place atop the WWE mountain.
Instead, Lesnar bloodied Reigns terribly with some legitimate elbows to the skull before hitting a sixth F5 to end the night. The following day news broke that Lesnar had signed a new deal with WWE.
There are conflicting reports as to how long that deal is – some reporting a multi-year deal and others reporting a short-term one. Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter reports a very interesting twist to the situation.
Botter reports that Lesnar has signed on for one more match in WWE, that match being his Universal Title defense against Roman Reigns inside a Steel Cage in Saudi Arabia later this month. Vince McMahon reportedly called an audible during the Lesnar and Reings match at WrestleMania and changed the finish because he didn’t like the reaction Reigns was receiving.
The plan is to have Lesnar lose the title in front of a more “conductive” audience. Botter did note that we will see Lesnar in WWE again after the match, but likely not for a long time and much less than we’re used to seeing him.
Brock reportedly wants to put all of his effort into the UFC at this time, as he will likely take on the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title at the end of this year. Botter also noted that Lesnar could return for an appearance at WrestleMania 35 next year:
Back in January former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe suffered an injury to his foot during a match with Rhyno on RAW.
The injury kept him out-of-action for several months before The Destroyer was able to make his return to WWE TV tonight (Mon. April 9, 2018) on the RAW after WrestleMania 34. Joe confronted Roman Reigns, who was in the middle of a promo in which he discussed his loss to Universal Champion Brock Lesnar last night.
Joe said that Reigns is a failure and he’ll be waiting for The Big Dog at Backlash following Reigns’ rematch with Lesnar at The Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia:
Roman Reigns On Facing Brock Lesnar Tonight For The Universal Championship
“I feel good. God woke me up and today is my day. Probably not going to feel good after this. Last time I wrestled Brock, I was still in a lot of pain for months after so we will see how it goes”.
Reigns was asked if the nerves were setting in and here was his response:
“It is time to get to work man. I’m here to get that title and collect bags. ASAP”.
The Miz On Defending The Intercontinental Championship Against Finn Balor & Seth Rollins Tonight
Photo Credit: WWE.com
How he has prepared for two of the top Superstars in WWE:
“This is the match that everybody has been waiting for. This is WrestleMania. This is what it is all about. This is what you train and prepare for the entire year. This year has been the year of The Miz and I will keep the Intercontinental Championship, the most prestigious and honorable title in WWE. I have been saying it since day one, since the first time I had that title, this title is everything to me and no one is taking it from me, especially at WrestleMania”.
Going into WrestleMania as a new father:
“It is everything. This is the first WrestleMania that I have a child. I don’t have words for it. Normally I could sit here and talk all day long, but there is a whole new side of me that I didn’t even know I had. Everyone always tells you when you become a dad it is going to change you and I was like nah it is not going to change me, but it really does. When you look in your daughter’s eyes and see the life that you have given, you want to make them proud. I know my wife is going to be watching on the WWE Network at home and you want to make them proud. You want to make them see you as a champion and that is exactly what I am going to set out to do”.
Jarrius “JJ” Robertson picking him to win at WrestleMania:
“Yeah! I know right? I am his least favorite WWE Superstar and Jarrius chose me to defend the Intercontinental Championship. Why? Because he knows and he gets it and everybody else is starting to get it. I am the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time and today will be the stamp. I’m ready to go”.
Below is the video of Jarrius picking The Miz to win the Intercontinental Championship match tonight. The Miz interviewed Jarrius after he received The Warrior Award at the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.
The advocate for the reigning, defending Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has just sent out a cryptic tweet concerning ‘The Beast Incarnate’s’ title match with Roman Reigns at tonight’s Wrestlemania show.
Paul Heyman posted an image with the ‘Tale of The Tape’ for tonight’s match and he made some interesting points, he stated that “Roman Reigns has been the main event on FOUR consecutive WrestleManias. Not even Brock Lesnar can say that. Roman has earned that position every single day, and deserves mad props for that. Please be advised, though. I’m leaving Wrestlemania 34 with the Universal Champion.”
Whilst Heyman could be referring to his client Lesnar there is certainly a cryptic element to his words. Heyman is an extremely savvy promoter and business man and could easily be stoking the fires for a potential ‘turn’ on his client and be aligning with the ‘Big Dog’ at Wrestlemania…or he could of course be leading fans down the wrong path deliberately.
Let us know if you think Heyman could be leaving Wrestlemania with Reigns in the comments.
Roman Reigns is gearing up for the biggest match of his career as this is supposed to be his moment while under the WWE banner. He’s slated to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 34.
While promoting the event, he spoke with Planeta Wrestling to talk about various topics. It’s well known that Lesnar’s contract with WWE expires after tonight and he has already told UFC President Dana White that he’s interested in returning to the company.
Reigns gave his take on the current Universal Champion potentially returning to the MMA promotion.
“I like to say ‘never say never’ as soon as you think something is going to be one way, Vince McMahon and the WWE somehow turns it and surprises everybody,” Reigns said. “With his history, if he were to leave, I don’t think it will be the last time we see him. Before UFC he was with WWE. Regardless, he’s a great businessman and he can obviously juggle both and that deserves respect in its own right. At the end of the day, I know he has a high regard for WWE and he’ll do what’s best for him.”
Reigns was also asked about who he wants to wrestle next and it was quite the easy answer for the Big Dog. He wants to step into the squared circle against SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan, who was recently cleared to in-ring action.
“I think the ‘Yes Man,’ I don’t get to see the guys from SmackDown all that often,” Reigns said. “I know Daniel Bryan has been cleared. I’d love to get back in their with Bryan. I’d love to get in there, kind of do what we did back at Fastlane and have that rivalry. Hell, what kind of match would that be, me and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania next year? Hopefully, his health continues to get better and better, the sky’s the limit for him. So, I think Daniel Bryan would be a cool opponent.”
Roman Reigns will once again be headlining WrestleMania as he battles Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship on Sunday night. Reigns has been subjected to backlash from wrestling fans for years while WWE has tried over and over again to present him as the face of the company. Fans of Roman Reigns believe that he deserves to be “The Guy” in WWE, while others have grown tired of WWE placing him in the main event.
Here is a look back at some of the times WWE has tried to get the fans behind Reigns and the backlash it created from fans:
The Evil Boss Makes His Return (2015-2016)
Sheamus defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Reigns at WWE TLC 2015. Roman scaled the ladder and was inches away from retrieving the title, but Alberto Del Rio and Rusev came down to the ring and interfered. Reigns fought them off with a couple of Superman Punches, but turned around into a Brogue Kick from Sheamus. The interference allowed Sheamus to retain his title. After the match, Reigns lost his mind and beatdown Sheamus, Del Rio and Rusev.
Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and WWE officials came down to the ring to stop Reigns. Roman turned his attention towards Triple H and delivered an epic beatdown to the WWE COO. The following night on RAW, Vince McMahon made his first appearance on WWE RAW in over a year. McMahon was fired up and wanted to fight Reigns. Sheamus interrupted and stated that he wanted the pleasure of beating an apology out of Roman Reigns himself. Sheamus asked for a match that night and added that he wanted to put the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the line. The crowd chanted “yes” and Vince McMahon said that there was no chance in hell of that happening. Reigns insulted Vince’s manhood and McMahon made the match official.
Vince added a stipulation to the match, if Reigns didn’t win he would be fired. Vince then extended his hand for a handshake, but delivered a low-blow instead. Roman went on to win the match to become to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion later that night.
Reigns was then forced to put the title on the line in the 2016 Royal Rumble. The League of Nations got their revenge for what down at TLC 2015 and attacked Reigns during the match. Roman made his triumphant return to the match a half hour later, but ultimately lost the belt to Triple H. Reigns went on to recapture the title at WrestleMania 32, but the fans had already turned their backs on him once again.
Daniel Bryan Shakes Roman Reigns’ Hand At WWE Fastlane 2015
Roman Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble in Philadelphia to become the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. The Philadelphia crowd booed Reigns out of the building, as most of them wanted to see Daniel Bryan win the match and headline a second straight WrestleMania.
Despite winning the Royal Rumble match, Reigns went on to battle Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane 2015 to determine who will face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. Reigns and Bryan put on a very solid match. Bryan went for the running knee but Reigns countered into a Spear for the pinfall victory. Following the match, Daniel Bryan shook Roman Reigns’ hand and told him to kick Brock Lesnar’s ass at WrestleMania. The crowd was fully behind Daniel Bryan, but WWE hoped that Bryan showing Reigns respect would get them on Roman’s side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhYKPqZsvBM
Unfortunately for WWE, their plan didn’t work out. The crowd at Levi’s Stadium for WrestleMania 31 were more behind Brock Lesnar than Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins wound up cashing in his MITB briefcase and pinned Roman Reigns to become the new champion. Even though Rollins was a heel at the time, the crowd rejoiced as the fireworks went off around him on the entrance ramp.
The Rock Saves Roman Reigns At WWE Royal Rumble 2015
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The month before WWE Fastlane 2015, Reigns won the Royal Rumble match. The crowd turned on the match immediately after Daniel Bryan was eliminated. It was a foregone conclusion that Reigns was going to win and the crowd wasn’t having it all. The final three Superstars in the match were Reigns, Kane and Big Show. Reigns eliminated them both and seemed to have won the match. However, Rusev was hiding outside the ring and had not been eliminated. The Philadelphia crowd at Wells Fargo Center grabbed onto that last bit of hope tjat Reigns wouldn’t win as Rusev snuck into the ring to try to and eliminate Roman. However, Reigns eliminated Rusev shortly after and won the match anyway.
After the match, Kane and Big Show attacked Roman Reigns from behind. The Rock came down to the ring and helped out Roman Reigns. The Rock then raised Reigns’ hand and the crowd booed them out of the building. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon came down to the entrance ramp pissed off because Reigns won and The Rock was in the ring celebrating with him. The hashtag #CancelWWENetwork was the number one trend on Twitter following the show. Amazingly, even The Rock couldn’t get the fans to cheer Reigns at WWE Royal Rumble 2015.
https://www.instagram.com/p/yT6y3qIh_e/
Roman Reigns “Retires” The Undertaker At WrestleMania 33
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Last year at WrestleMania 33, Roman Reigns faced The Undertaker. The entire build to this match was both Superstars wanted to prove that WWE was their yard. Reigns defeated The Undertaker by connecting with a massive Spear. After the match, The Undertaker left his hat and jacket in the ring to symbolize that he was retired.
The following night on RAW, Reigns came down to the ring to an unbelievably negative reaction from the crowd. Roman stood tall in the ring and took it. Whenever he tried to talk, the crowd would get angrier and chant louder. After several minutes of hearing nothing but negativity, Reigns simply stated “this is my yard now” and left the ring to a chorus of boos.
The negativity towards Reigns has never been as loud as it was on the RAW after WrestleMania 33. The victory over The Undertaker did not cause the majority of fans to find a new level of respect for Roman Reigns, it just made them even more sick of him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsoq1MteXSU
John Cena Raises Roman Reigns’ Hand At WWE No Mercy 2017
Photo Credit: WWE.com
WWE just recently had John Cena pass the torch to Roman Reigns at WWE No Mercy 2017. The build up to this match featured several promos in which Cena and Reigns traded insults. During one promo, Reigns forgot his lines and Cena told him that he is going to have to learn how to do promos if he wants to be “The Guy”. Reigns blasted John Cena for being a part-timer and Cena responded by stating that he could do this part-time better than Reigns could ever do full-time.
John Cena lost to Roman Reigns at No Mercy and raised his hand after the match. John Cena claimed that Reigns was not capable of being “The Guy”, but after the loss he showed Reigns a ton of respect. Cena then appeared on RAW Talk following the PPV and stated that he didn’t pass the torch to Reigns, Roman took it. Cena added that WWE’s future is in good hands with Roman Reigns.
John Cena emotional saying future in good hands. Says he didn't pass the torch. Roman Reigns took it. Put him over huge on #RawTalk. #WWE
Roman Reigns called Brock Lesnar “Vince’s boy” on March 12. Lesnar had been no-showing episodes of WWE RAW and Reigns was pissed off about it. Reigns took it as a sign of disrespect to him, the Superstars in the back and the WWE Universe. Reigns marched backstage and confronted Vince McMahon. The two then argued in Vince’s office and Reigns was indefinitely suspended. Vince admitted to Renee Young that Lesnar does have special privileges, but claimed that he has earned them.
On this past Monday’s episode of RAW, Kurt Angle instructed WWE Superstars to line up on the entrance ramp to prevent Reigns from getting into the ring with Lesnar. Reigns asked the Superstars if they really wanted to protect a part-timer who didn’t respect them. The Superstars cleared a path for Reigns to get into the ring. Lesnar rolled out and grabbed a chair before getting back in the ring with Reigns. Roman connected with 5 Superman Punches, but somehow Lesnar shook them off and planted Reigns with an F5.
Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship against Roman Reigns this Sunday at WrestleMania 34. The build for this match has placed Reigns in the position of fighting not only for the title, but for the Superstars in the back and all of the fans that enjoy WWE. UFC President Dana White has conveniently announced that Brock Lesnar will be returning to UFC at some point. WWE is hoping that enough fans in New Orleans will cheer for Reigns during the match this Sunday.
The storyline for this match has had Lesnar attack Reigns while he is in handcuffs and mercilessly beat him down. Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, has admitted on the microphone that Lesnar only cares about the money and doesn’t give a damn what the fans think. Vince McMahon even suspended Roman Reigns for questioning him and accusing him of catering to Lesnar. All of these elements are supposed to get you on Roman Reigns’ side at WrestleMania 34. Just like every previous attempt to get the majority of fans on Reigns’ side, it will likely backfire on Sunday night.
Roman Reigns recently did an interview with The New York Post to promote his Universal Championship match against Brock Lesnar this weekend in New Orleans at WrestleMania 34. Reigns was first asked about Paul Heyman saying Brock Lesnar will most likely return to UFC after WrestleMania:
“Not only will it help fuel this fire between Brock and I, it will get some truth that needs to be said a little bit. 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.”
The Big Dog also explained why business is better within WWE when the company has a full-time World Champion:
“Whenever you have a champion who is on every single live event, every single house show, every single appearance that’s scheduled, it changes numbers. It’s true. I’ve seen it before. The tour we had after I beat Triple H in Dallas [at WrestleMania 32] the numbers didn’t lie and it’s not going to be any different [this time].”
Reigns then described how huge a victory over Lesnar on The Grandest Stage Of Them All would be for his career:
“It wouldn’t only be huge for me. It would be huge for this whole locker room. This is a team thing that we do and I represent this new generation.”
You can read Reigns’ full interview with The New York Post by clicking this link here.
Paul Heyman will walk down to the ring alongside Brock Lesnar for the main event at WrestleMania 34 this weekend but if he has his way, he’d love the opportunity to work with his opponent Roman Reigns as well.
It’s no secret that Reigns has remained one of the biggest superstars on the WWE roster and fans generally feel passionately about him — either he’s beloved or he’s despised and there doesn’t seem to be much of a middle ground.
Perhaps one of the biggest shortcomings during Reigns’ WWE career has been his inability to really cut a solid promo, which is a staple for most athletes that transcend from superstar status to icon.
That’s why some have suggested that Reigns teaming up with Heyman would be the best thing for his career as the former ECW owner is typically regarded as the best talker and hype man in professional wrestling today.
If given the chance, Heyman would love to work with Reigns and he believes that the 32-year old veteran performer might already be the biggest commodity on the entire WWE roster if not for his current client who holds the WWE universal championship.
“Three years ago in the buildup to WrestleMania 31 I said straight to Roman Reigns’ face a comment that can be taken as both story line and as reality. Roman Reigns is the right guy, in the right place, at the wrong time,” Heyman told NBC Sports. “In any other time in history, Roman Reigns would be so dominant on top, both in a story line capacity and a box office capacity in WWE. No one would be in his stratosphere. He would absolutely be the Paul Heyman guy for I would be auditioning every single solitary day to define my role as a Roman Reigns guy. We would be sitting here talking about Roman Reigns approaching 1,000 days as the top champion in WWE. There’s no doubt in my mind about this. No one would be in his league.
“But the unfortunate thing for Roman Reigns is that he lives in a time period that is dominated by Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar is the only athlete who can go in-between WWE and UFC seamlessly at a top tier, main event level.”
“Working with Roman Reigns would be an absolute career defining moment for me” ~ Paul Heyman
Still given the chance to work together, Heyman believes that he could do great things alongside Reigns while serving as his ‘advocate’ on television.
It’s entirely possible that scenario plays out considering Lesnar is a free agent after WrestleMania 34 and there has been a ton of speculation that he’s considering a return to the UFC rather than signing a new long term deal with WWE.
If Lesnar exits, that could open the door for Heyman to team up with Reigns after WrestleMania 34 is finished.
“Working with Roman Reigns would be an absolute career defining moment for me,” Heyman stated. “I have nothing but the upmost respect and admiration for him as an athlete, a performer, and as a man.”
Would you like to see Paul Heyman team up with Roman Reigns after WrestleMania 34 is finished? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
We now know which match will close the show this weekend at WrestleMania 34.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and the rest of the creative team have been planning Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company since 2017.
The idea is to have Reigns go over on Lesnar to make him a top babyface, which is something that the WWE has been attempting to do for many years now despite the backlash from their fans.
Bryan Alvarez reported on Tuesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Live that as of Monday, the plan is to have Lesnar vs. Reigns serve as the main event.
Keep in mind that historically, WWE doesn’t make the final call on which match will main event the show until the morning of each WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 34 is set to be held on Sunday, April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network. It’s the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. Both Raw and SmackDown rosters will be featured.
WWE is scheduled to hold a live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 7th. The promotion recently updated the card for the show.
The sports entertainment company has officially announced the first match for this upcoming show, which will serve as the main event.
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe in a singles match is being promoted. Keep in mind that this is a match that is also being advertised for several other events this summer.
Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, The Miz, Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Sasha Banks, Elias, The Bar, Matt Hardy, and Bray Wyatt are also being advertised for this live event.
The WWE will be announcing more matches for this live event in the coming weeks.
Roman Reigns was recently interviewed by CBS Sports to promote WrestleMania 34 this weekend, where he’ll challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in what’s expected to be the night’s main event. Reigns was asked about his main event WrestleMania match last year, in which he became the second-ever man to defeat The Undertaker at The Showcase Of The Immortals.
Reigns said that he feels the match could’ve been better, and he mostly puts the blame on himself for it not living up to expectations:
“For me, what made it so hard was how heavy it was. You know, if I wrestled The Undertaker 20 years ago at the beginning or the middle of his career, probably not. But the positioning I found myself in, it just felt really heavy and so much more emotional than I was ready for it to be, so I think that was the hardest thing … but, you know, the coolest thing because I think that just shows the gravity of the situation, the responsibility of the placement [on the card] and just who I was sharing the ring with.
“And that’s just how special he is. I just feel like maybe I wasn’t good enough or maybe it could have been better on my behalf, but I always hold The Undertaker in so high in that regard that I just feel like maybe I could have done better. But I enjoyed it.
“I really learned a huge amount in the ring with him; you know, to being in the ring with him for one singles match and to have it be at that level, to be able to pick something up in just 30-40 minutes from another performer — it just goes to show how good he is.”
You can listen to Reigns’ interview with CBS Sports by clicking this link here.
Since 2014, WWE has attempted to establish Roman Reigns as their next “face of the company.” Reigns had headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-view events, including the last three WrestleManias (31 lost to Seth Rollins, 32 beat Triple H and 33 when he defeated The Undertaker).
There has never been a babyface that has been pushed like Reigns that is disliked more by fans in the history of professional wrestling. Historically, when a babyface is not getting over with the crowd, the promoter or booker would turn them heel. Reigns is truly a different case in that sense.
Reigns was recently interviewed by NBC Sports to promote Wrestlemania 34 and his match against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title. In this interview, he was asked about potentially being paired with Paul Heyman on WWE television.
There have been rumors that this could happen if Lesnar decided to leave WWE. Here is what the “Big Dog” had to say:
“I think it would be really cool. Obviously, it comes down to a couple of different things creatively, but I think it would be really neat. I think it would be able to show a different aspect of myself. It really just depends on the route that we want to take my character; if there’s any type of evolution that needs to be made in the next couple of years. I think with a character like Paul Heyman, the different things that we could do would be really cool. It would show not only myself, but also him in a totally different light. I wouldn’t just be the guy bouncing around not saying anything. If there’s something I need to say, I’m going to step up and say it because regardless if I’m with a guy like Paul Heyman, I would not be a Paul Heyman guy, he would be a Roman Reigns guy, that’s the way that would work.” Reigns added, “My role is my role and I don’t plan on changing that for anybody. If there’s something that needs to be said or if someone needs to step up in the locker room and mention something, that’s always going to be where I want to be. As long as nothing crazy or drastic would change, I think we’d be able to do a lot of really cool stuff. I’m into it.”
Reigns is set to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, in what is expected to be the main event of WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.
– Former WWE talent Hornswoggle is set to perform a comedy show from the Allways Lounge & Cabaret in New Orleans on WrestleMania 34 weekend. It all goes down on Friday April 6th at 9:30 pm and combines a stand-up comedy routine with funny storytelling. Click here for more information.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was recently interviewed on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast to talk about several professional wrestling topics. “The Big Dog,” who won last month’s Elimination Chamber match, will be challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 34 next month in New Orleans.
Reigns was asked about the recent label put on him of being Vince McMahon’s “golden boy.” The former Shield member responded by saying, in a sense, all WWE Superstars are “Vince’s boys”:
“Whether you’re somebody who’s been in a situation like me, or you’re somebody who is new, or has been around for a long time and hasn’t gotten the push that everyone thinks they deserve, the bottom-line is—we’re all Vince’s boys.
“And when it comes down to it, what we do for him and this company, he has a huge respect for that. You couldn’t be him and be involved in this business and run it the way he has, if you didn’t have the ultimate respect for your performers, for your talent.”
You can listen to Reigns’ full interview on The Sam Roberts’ Wrestling Podcast by clicking this link here.
WWE officials are already planning on who will be Roman Reigns’ opponent this summer.
Reigns is slated to challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 34. The sports entertainment company has planned this match for over a year now. The idea of Reigns winning at the biggest event of the year for the WWE is to get him over as a top babyface, which is something they have been trying to do for years now.
The current plan is Reigns to work a program with Samoa Joe after WrestleMania, according to Dave Meltzer. Joe has been out of action since suffering a knee injury back in January. It’s believed that Joe has been medically cleared to return and he was actually backstage at Monday’s RAW, but WWE will most likely wait until the RAW after WrestleMania for his television return.
Samoa Joe is scheduled to work with Roman Reigns in the main event of WWE live shows over the next few months, including the 5/7 Raw-brand show at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY.
What do you think about Roman Reigns feuding with Samoa Joe after WrestleMania?
– WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz used Finn Balor and Seth Rollins’ old indy names (Prince Devitt and Tyler Black) on Monday Night RAW last night during a promo. Miz mispronounced Balor’s indy name, however, calling him Prince “Nevitt” instead. Balor responded to Miz’s mispronunciation on Twitter:
Prince Nevitt?? ….. and Miz is talking about ‘no respect’ HA!
– RAW opened up yesterday with Roman Reigns being handcuffed by US Marshals before taking a savage beating from Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. When Reigns was put up on the stretcher and escorted out of the arena, WWE snapped a photo that caught “The Big Dog’s” wrists bruised and scarred after the segment. Check it out:
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently joined Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg to promote his upcoming WrestleMania 34 Universal Title match against Brock Lesnar next month. Reigns has been doing quite an excellent job of hyping his match with “The Beast” at WrestleMania with some shoot-style promos on his adversary for seemingly skipping out on his Monday Night RAW appearances.
This, of course, is all part of WWE’s storyline and Reigns commented on Lesnar’s current standing with the WWE Universe:
“It’s a little bit different for him, right now, especially where we are at and the stuff I am bringing to light about him and his character and work ethic, I think some of the fans are taking it negatively,” Reigns said. “For the most part, Brock Lesnar is a cool dude, you can’t deny the fact that he is a big, jacked up brother who comes in and throws people on their necks.”
Reigns said that he has worked with Lesnar plenty of times before, including their main event match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31. “The Big Dog” said he and Lesnar have developed some good chemistry inside the ring, however, they don’t have much of a relationship outside of their professional one:
“I’ve had interactions with him, I’ve had history with him. We had our main event match at WrestleMania 31 and we had a few different Four-Ways and Triple-Threat matches like that where other characters are involved. It’s a different dynamic,” Reigns said. “Every time you are in a situation like that you do get to spend a little more time with somebody. Yeah, on his own time he seems like a cool dude, I don’t know him that well, but we’re not friends or anything.”
As fans saw during Braun Strowman’s interaction with Lesnar during their Royal Rumble match, where Lesnar legitimately punched Strowman in the jaw for delivering a stiff knee to him, the former UFC heavyweight champion puts on some extremely physical matches. Reigns said Lesnar’s aggressiveness inside the ring isn’t something he shies away from, and his past as a college football player allows him to match that physicality when need be:
“If he throws two at me I’m throwing three back. My dad was a big man. One of the easiest things about wrestling Brock Lesnar is that there isn’t much thinking about it. It’s just all physical stuff, and I’ve been doing physical stuff since I was seven years old. I played Division-One Football at Georgia Tech, so I’ve seen and been around some of the best athletes in the world,” he said.
“What we do is a different form of entertainment and athleticism, but you still have to be an athlete in order to do what we do all year round, you have to keep yourself in that shape so, I’m never scared to be able to push that button, let’s go, if I have to protect myself, I’m more than capable, no doubt.”
You can listen to Reigns’ interview on Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg by clicking this link here.
Roman Reigns has notably been accused of being involved with an illegal steroid ring over the past several weeks. Filmmaker Jon Bravo had been teasing the release of evidence against Reigns in his latest YouTube video on the case, however, the video presented no evidence suggesting Reigns was involved.
Initially when the story broke Reigns released a Twitter statement claiming no involvement in the matter in addition to saying he didn’t know the man, Richard Rodriguez, accusing him:
“I have never heard of Richard Rodriguez or Wellness Fitness Nutrition. I learned from the mistake I made nearly two years ago and paid the penalty for it. Since then, I’ve passed 11 tests as part of WWE’s independent drug testing program.”
Recently Reigns was interviewed on The Jim & Sam Show and was asked about the accusations against him. Here’s what he had to say on the matter:
“At one point it’s like, who is this [Rodriguez]? Where is this coming from? What did I do? Like, what the heck is going on? I’m just sitting at home playing with kids. I’m feeding babies and changing diapers, and doing dad stuff and then all of a sudden this happens. I think it’s just a good lesson of where we’re at. If you have any kind of social media presence; essentially, my Twitter is a billboard, unfortunately some people want to use whether it’s in a positive passion and a negative passion
“At the same time, it’s one of those deals where, I know me, I know what I have done, and I know what the truth is. You have to have one of those bulletproof mentalities where it’s like, these things are ricocheting off of me.”
WrestleMania 34 is right around the corner, and two of WWE’s biggest stars have the opportunity to make quite a bit of history at “The Show Of Shows” in New Orleans next month. Starting off with Roman Reigns, “The Big Dog” has main evented the past three WrestleManias with names like Brock Lesnar, Triple H, and The Undertaker. If his match (a Universal Title match against Lesnar) closes out WrestleMania 34 for the fourth-consecutive year he’ll tie Hulk Hogan for the most consecutive WrestleMania main events of all time.
RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss can also make significant history with a win at WrestleMania. She’s expected to defend her strap against Nia Jax at the event, however, that has yet to be made official by WWE. Regardless, if Bliss retains her title next month she’ll join Victoria and Trish Stratus as the third and only women to defend their titles at consecutive WrestleManias.
Given Bliss doesn’t lose her RAW Women’s Title before WrestleMania, she’ll also become the first woman ever to defend both the SmackDown Live Women’s Title and RAW Women’s Title at WrestleMania as well. It should be interesting to see if Reigns and Bliss break their respective records.
Vince McMahon temporarily suspended Roman Reigns in the storylines during a heated opening segment on Monday’s WWE RAW in Detroit. No word yet on when Reigns will be brought back from the storyline suspension but we will keep you updated.
This week’s RAW kicked off with General Manager Kurt Angle announcing that WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar was not there for his in-ring meeting with Reigns, his second RAW no-show during WrestleMania 34 Season. Angle did not have a solid reason as to why Lesnar wasn’t there tonight, which brought Reigns out. Reigns blamed Vince, saying Lesnar is Vince’s “boy” and saying being disrespected by Lesnar is one thing but he will not be disrespected by Vince. Reigns then marched into the Gorilla Position backstage and confronted Vince. RAW then went to commercial and came back to Renee Young outside of Vince’s office.
Reigns walked out and was in no mood to speak but Vince made it clear that Brock is not his boy or Paul Heyman’s boy, he’s nobody’s boy but he is a man, his own man. Vince admitted that Lesnar has privileges but said he believes Brock has earned those privileges. Vince also acknowledged that people often take advantage of what’s given to them and Brock may have gone too far now. Vince then gave his word that Brock would be here on next week’s RAW in Dallas and promised he would face Reigns in the WrestleMania 34 main event. Vince then temporarily suspended Reigns for his previous behavior.
We’ve noted several times how WWE’s goal for the Reigns vs. Lesnar build is to get Reigns cheered by fans, which is something that isn’t always guaranteed, which would hopefully lead to a positive reaction when he wins the title at WrestleMania. WWE officials also want the build to Reigns vs. Lesnar to come across like a shoot as much as possible.
– For the past several weeks filmmaker Jon Bravo has been teasing the release of evidence that WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was involved in an illegal steroid ring operation as a customer. In a new teaser released by Bravo, he mentioned that former WWE Superstar Luther Reigns could be involved in the scandal as well.
This led to some speculation that Bravo could’ve mistaken Luther for Roman. The first name of one of the “Reigns” characters in question was cropped out in one of his photos. Check it out:
Bravo responded to some of the speculation that he could’ve confused Luther and Roman, saying they’re two different people and fans shouldn’t be irresponsible by spreading rumors:
“Luther and Roman are 2 different people everyone. Stop spreading rumors and wait until I release more information. Be responsible guys…”
Bravo had teased the release of the Reigns evidence video last week but had to halt posting due to what he claims to be last-second editing. It should be interesting to see when he releases the video, and what evidence he actually has on Reigns, with WrestleMania 34 right around the corner.
– In WWE’s latest preview for Monday Night RAW next week they teased when the Final Deletion match between “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt could take place. Here’s the preview for the segment:
“The Ultimate Deletion” is upon us, and the battleground has been chosen.
After “Woken” Matt Hardy invited Bray Wyatt to The Hardy Compound for the final battle in the “Great War,” The Eater of Worlds accepted the challenge via social media.
– As seen on Monday Night RAW this past week, Matt Hardy challenged Bray Wyatt to come and confront him at the Hardy Family Compound. Some footage from the compound was also featured during the segment, which we later found out was filmed by Reby Hardy. Wyatt took to Twitter to accept Hardy’s challenge:
– WWE posted a promo on Twitter for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW from Detroit, which is said to feature a face to face confrontation between WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and Elimination Chamber winner Roman Reigns. Check it out:
– Paige took to social media to note that she’s currently on tour with her current boyfriend, Kalan Blehm’s, band, Attila. She won’t be appearing with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville at WWE live events this week:
– Last night after Monday Night RAW went off-air on the USA Network, the dark main event of the evening saw Roman Reigns defeat Kane in singles competition.
– WWE made the following announcement to congratulate RAW Superstar Ronda Rousey on getting inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame this past weekend:
Ronda Rousey inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame at the 2018 Arnold Sports Festival USA
Ronda Rousey sure knows how to cap off a week! After officially signing her contract with the Raw brand and shockingly slamming Triple H through a table, Rousey found herself in Columbus, Ohio for her induction into the International Sports Hall of Fame during the 2018 Arnold Sports Festival. “Rowdy” Ronda was inducted alongside MMA legend Bas Rutten, host of “The Amazing Race” Phil Keoghan and acclaimed world powerlifting champions Dr. Terry Todd and Dr. Jan Todd.
Rousey also received her sixth degree black belt, while her mother, legendary judoka AnnMaria De Mars, received her seventh during the festival. Rousey took to Instagram to show gratitude for the amazing honors.
The festival, presented by WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzennegger, was founded in Columbus in 1989. The Arnold Sports Festival now features more than 18,000 athletes from 80 nations competing in 70 sports and events.
Also in attendance was Raw General Manager Kurt Angle, who posed for photos with Rousey and his daughter, Sophia, who he calls “Little Ronda.”
WWE.com congratulates Rousey on this incredible accomplishment.
– After his loss to John Cena on RAW last night, Goldust did an interview with Mike Rome in which he praised “The Leader Of The Cenation.” Goldust said possibly defeating Cena would allow him to point to the WrestleMania sign and punch his ticket for “The Show Of Shows.” Unfortunately for “Goldy,” that didn’t happen:
