– Following his win over John Cena at last night’s (Sun. September 24, 2017) No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV), Roman Reigns took to Twitter to express his newfound respect for “The Leader Of The Cenation,” and declared that he’s still the ‘Top Dog’:
Whether u exchange harsh words or harsh blows, u don't leave a fight w/o respect for a warrior Respect for past, present & hopefully future.
With his victory over John Cena at Sunday’s No Mercy pay-per-view, Roman Reigns proved that WWE is his yard and he’s able to hang with the best talent WWE has to offer.
From what we’ve been hearing, Roman Reigns has another big match scheduled for next month’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs event – and he won’t be fighting alone.
Many fans have been rooting for a Shield reunion since the faction disbanded three years ago. They will reportedly get their wish very soon, as a Shield reunion is finally in the works.
James McKenna of Pro Wrestling Sheet noted on Twitter that WWE is planning to reunite Reigns with RAW tag team champions Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in an effort to boost ticket sales for TLC and continue the RAW brand’s streak of stacked PPV cards.
wowwww, hearing that to kickstart some ticket sales – they’re planning to give TLC in a month a MAJOR card upgrade. its finally happeninggg. pic.twitter.com/FLE8CWqRM0
It’s interesting to note that Roman Reigns will be a guest on Miz TV in the opening segment of tonight’s RAW. With the planned Shield reunion and The Miz and his Miztourage always looking for high-profile competition, The Shield vs. The Miztourage is rumored as one of the top matches for TLC.
There’s no word yet as to how long this Shield reunion will last, but aligning Reigns with Rollins and Ambrose once again would go a long way in WWE’s effort to get Reigns over with the large portion of the WWE Universe that has not yet embraced the Big Dog as RAW’s top babyface.
The longterm plan for Reigns is still a WrestleMania 34 showdown with Brock Lesnar, so we’ll see if Reigns still has the Shield backup by the time these two collide.
WWE No Mercy 2017 aired last night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Brock Lesnar defended his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman in the main event. In a match many thought was reserved for WrestleMania, John Cena faced Roman Reigns for the very first time. Here are my five takeawys from last night’s PPV:
Cesaro Is Tough As Hell
Cesaro and Sheamus faced Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins last night at No Mercy for the RAW Tag Team Championships. During the match, Dean Ambrose catapulted Cesaro into the ring post. Cesaro smashed face-first into the post and completely messed up his front teeth. Cesaro got medical attention next to the ring but was back on the ring apron awaiting a tag only a minute later. Cesaro is one of the most talented performers on WWE’s roster and is a true professional. He went on to finish the remaining 10+ minutes of the match. Sheamus & Cesaro fell short at No Mercy, but their match with Ambrose and Rollins stole the show.
Nia Jax Is Ready To Become Champion
Alexa Bliss defended her RAW Women’s Championship in a Fatal 5-Way against Bayley, Emma, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. Alexa Bliss won the match and retained her title, but Nia Jax was the best part of this match. She showed off her strength by hitting a Samoan Drop on Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss at the same time. Jax got Powerbombed off the ring apron and crashed to the floor. It was announced that Asuka is making her debut on the RAW roster at WWE TLC 2017 on October 22nd. Asuka and Nia Jax have battled down in NXT, but Nia has improved a ton since then. I can’t wait to see the two battle again on the main roster and hopefully for the RAW Women’s Championship.
The Cruiserweight Division Doesn’t Matter
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Enzo Amore defeated Neville last night at WWE No Mercy to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. He won the match after hitting a low-blow on Neville and then rolling him up for the pinfall. The match was astonishingly bad and when the crowd decided to make noise, they chanted “boring!”.
Neville destroyed the entire Cruiserweight Division but was made to look like an idiot last night at No Mercy. He had the match won numerous times, but ultimately decided to not go for the Red Arrow because the crowd cheered as he climbed the turnbuckle. It wound up costing him and he lost the much.
Enzo Amore is sometimes funny while cutting promos. He is never going to be good in the ring. WWE failed to build up anyone else on the 205 Live roster. Quite literally every single one of them is a better wrestler than Enzo Amore. However, thanks to WWE’s failures to build anyone up, Enzo Amore is now the Cruiserweight Champion. How is 205 Live doin? Not too good.
Braun Strowman’s Future Is Still Bright
Braun Strowman delivering a Running Powerslam to Brock Lesnar at WWE No Mercy 2017. (Photo Credit: WWE.com)
Brock Lesnar defeated Braun Strowman last night in the main event of WWE No Mercy. The match was hyped up well for the past few weeks on RAW, but it wound up being just a decent match. Strowman had shown that he could dominate Lesnar on RAW recently and when he slammed him through two announce tables at SummerSlam. Even though Strowman lost tonight, it remains clear to me that Strowman is going to be integral part of WWE’s future.
I think he is already at the point where he should regularly be in the main event of WWE PPVs. While WWE might have other plans for now, there is no denying that Strowman has become a household name. Strowman lost tonight but he’ll be right back in the hunt for the Universal Championship in no time.
Roman Reigns Is The Guy
Roman Reigns after his victory over John Cena at WWE No Mercy 2017. (Photo Credit: WWE.com)
Whether you like it or not, Roman Reigns is “the guy” in WWE. I’m not a big fan of it myself, but it obvious that WWE is not going to shy away from pushing Roman Reigns at all costs. He defeated John Cena last night at No Mercy in a match that I thought would have been saved for WrestleMania. Cena raised Roman Reigns’ hand after the match and then went on RAW Talk and praised him some more.
Cena said that a burden was taken off his shoulders after his loss to Reigns. Cena also stated that Roman Reigns proved to him that he was in fact “the guy” over the past month leading up to last night’s match. Cena even became emotional during his appearance on RAW Talk and last night’s match clearly showed that Roman Reigns is without a doubt the top guy in WWE. He is the Big Dog and WWE appears to be his yard going forward for a long time.
John Cena lost tonight to Roman Reigns, despite hitting four Attitude Adjustments during the match. Reigns wound up getting the victory after connecting with a Superman Punch and following it up with a Spear.
John Cena was a guest on RAW Talk after WWE No Mercy 2017 went off the air. Cena said that he wanted to bring something out of Roman Reigns that he didn’t think anyone else had the courage to do. Cena stated that he built a career of earning respect and tonight Roman Reigns earned his respect.
Cena said that there have been Superstars for years that have failed to step up and take his place. He added that Roman stepped up in both in a way to communicate with the audience and in the ring. Cena praised Roman’s promo on him Monday night and said that he was beaten in the ring by a better man tonight.
John stated that he gave everything he had in the match and what tonight did was solidify Roman’s presence as “the guy”. Cena said that he watched Roman Reigns mature into “the guy” over this past month. He added that he sat in the ring after the match because he felt like a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders. Cena stated that it makes him feel really good knowing that he can believe in WWE’s future because of Roman Reigns.
Cena added that there is no shame in failing if you gave it your best. He said that he was very proud of Roman Reigns and that he earned his respect tonight. Renee Young asked what Cena said to Roman in the ring after the match but Cena didn’t reveal it. Cena said that he has been down the roads that Reigns is about to go on and wanted to say something to him about it after the match.
Cena then got emotional and said “transition is tough, but it is wonderful and beautiful. I am proud to be able to say that I lost to a better man tonight and that the future of this company is great hands”. Cena also said that he is not sure if he can keep going on the pace that he has been going. Cena stated that he’ll be like a weird Batman character and show up when they shine the light.
John said that Reigns needs to keep doing what he is doing and that he is very gifted. Lawler asked if Cena passed the torch tonight, Cena said that Reigns stepped up and took it. John added that you are only as good as your next one and Roman needs to continue to step up. He added that the sky is the limit for Roman Reigns, but he has to continue to show up and perform for the WWE Universe. Cena thanked the WWE Universe for being so generous to him. Cena said that he is not gone, but things are changing for him and we will go from there.
Roman Reigns fires shot at Cena ahead of their match tonight at No Mercy
Roman Reigns and John Cena have spent the past few weeks on RAW cutting promos on each other. Cena poked fun at Reigns for failing a drug test and Reigns blasted Cena for turning Hollywood and becoming a part-timer. Earlier today, Reigns sent out the following tweet and mocked Cena:
I don't come up with catchy slogans. My life isn't a corny catchphrase. I was born to reign.
Elias will face Apollo Crews tonight during the No Mercy Kickoff Show. Elias posted the following video and warned Crews that he will not find peace in Titus Worldwide. Elias suggested that he should walk with him instead because he is the future of WWE.
WWE Superstars wish Stephanie McMahon Happy Birthday
Vince McMahon and several other Superstars took to Twitter today to wish Stephanie McMahon a Happy Birthday. Stephanie McMahon turns 41-years-old today.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the QUEEN ?! A one of a kind human! My girlfriend ? thank you for all you do @StephMcMahon! Have the best day! ? pic.twitter.com/EbVt1y6MmO
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns recently made an appearance on CBS’ In This Corner podcast to promote his match with John Cena this weekend at the WWE’s No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV). During the interview, Reigns discussed his zipper malfunction on Monday Night RAW and John Cena taking advantage of it, as well as his feud with Cena helping improve his promo skills. You can check out the highlights here:
His zipper malfunctioning on Monday Night RAW and John Cena taking advantage:
“The funny thing is, my zipper literally broke like two minutes before I was walking out. Usually I do a last-minute check. Do I have boogers in my nose? Any like weird hair conditioner on my ears? Is my zipper up? I kind of push and normally you’ll check your zipper to make sure the teeth are right in place. I actually pushed right through it. The actual zipper handle popped off, and once that happens, you have to go out there in two minutes. It’s not like I’m just wearing trunks or something. I’ve got blousing straps at the bottom, and I would have to take everything off in order to get new pants on.”
Reigns didn’t skip a beat upon fielding the insult and responded to Cena’s ad-libbed comment by saying, “I busted it actually … big dog.” The joke instantly lit up social media.
“John being John, if anything presents itself, which I feel is fair game if it’s there to take it, and he did,” Reigns said. “Luckily, that’s one thing of just over the years going back and forth in locker rooms, I have a quick rebuttal with little things like that. It was just something that, thank God I was ready for it, but really he shocked me in bringing up. I thought I had it closed up the whole time but apparently not. I was peaking at him, I guess.”
His promo skills improving during his feud with Cena:
“It was nice to be able to change gears and get better at something. I think I’ve definitely gotten better on the stick working with John. I have to give him credit for that. Like he said in one of his opening promos, you either step up or you step aside.”
You can listen to Reigns’ interview on the In This Corner podcast by visiting this link here.
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns was recently a guest on the CBS “In This Corner” podcast to talk about his ongoing feud with John Cena, in which the pair will collide in one of the premiere bouts at this weekend’s No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV) event. “The Big Dog” discussed his backstage relationship with John Cena, if they’re friends, and if he has taken anything “The Leader Of The Cenation” has said in his promos to heart. You can check out the highlights below:
If he and John Cena are friends backstage:
“I will be completely honest. Me and John have always been cordial but I would never say we are close friends by any means. There is a business respect but I think that’s what makes it so special. We are truly competing against each other and I think people see that”
Has he taken anything Cena has said in his promos personally:
“It’s not like a situation where I am taking anything that he says to heart, because I don’t really care what he thinks about me, you know what I mean? If you care for somebody and they knife you, it will hurt your feelings and it can depress you. When you don’t care about somebody or their opinion, it doesn’t affect you. And that is what it is like with me and John”
– On last night’s (Tues. September 19, 2017) episode of SmackDown Live, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler continued his anti-gimmick angle by mocking the entrances of WWE Superstars such as Triple H and Shawn Michaels, in addition to the DX entrance. A fan didn’t like Ziggler’s mocking of “HBK’s” entrance, and the pair got into a Twitter exchange that you can check out here:
Im sorry but @HEELZiggler spoofing hbk entrance on sd..wasnt that your whole gimmick for some time? ?
– Roman Reigns granted a wish for a fan before RAW this past Monday, and had quite an emotional moment with him following the post-RAW dark match. The fan began to cry as Reigns gave him his gloves and told him “we’re brothers now.” You can check it out here:
Reigns emerged victorious after spearing the Monster Among Men through a table that was brought into the ring. You can check out footage of the spot below.
Both men will have their hands full this Sunday at No Mercy. Reigns will get a chance to prove he’s “The Guy” once again for all when he faces John Cena and Strowman gets a chance to dethrone WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Join us here this Sunday for our WWE No Mercy Live Results & Discussion
Main show was cool, but Braun and Roman put on a hell of a street fight for the dark main event pic.twitter.com/uwsMUWES2x
It’s pretty much routine for Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns to work against one another at WWE Live Events all the time, and that was exactly the case during the WWE’s visit to Brisbane, Australia where “The Monster Among Men” and “The Big Dog” went head-to-head in the show’s main event. Reigns and Strowman went to battle in a Brisbane Street Fight, where Reigns hit a spear through a table on Strowman to pick up the win. Shortly before their match, a video has been going viral of the WWE Universal Title challenger giving Reigns the one-finger salute. Check it out:
You can also witness the finish to their match here as well:
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently took to his podcast, Conversation With The Big Guy, to talk about a number of professional wrestling topics. “The Big Guy” discussed John Cena and Roman Reigns’ upcoming match at No Mercy, who he wants to win, Enzo Amore’s spending habits, his move to 205 Live, and much more. Check out the highlights below:
Reigns and Cena’s August 28th RAW promo and who he hopes wins the No Mercy match between the pair:
“I didn’t watch RAW or SmackDown. The only thing I watched [on RAW], because I heard a little buzz about it, was the Cena/Reigns promo.” Ryback continued, “I went and watched it after just to see and I thought it was really good. I enjoyed the whole thing. Yeah, no, I just think it was about time they do a promo on things of what people really think or whatnot, so I thought it was entertaining on all accounts and I know they mentioned something, they say they thought Reigns forgot his lines. I didn’t see in there where he forgot his lines. People pause and take their time all the time on different situations and whatnot, but yeah, no, I like Roman Reigns. Roman’s a good dude and I always got along with him really well, so I hope he f–king beats John really quickly for creative purposes.”
Cena not being able to politic his way to a win:
“John’s a creative guy. He [has] been there for a long time. He [has] been through this battle many, many times where he [has] been able to politically control it and, ah, this is one where I don’t know, I don’t know if he will. And it’ll be nice if he can’t.”
Enzo Amore’s spending habits:
“I can just tell you that [being] that early on into his [WWE] career he’s not set by any means.” Ryback added, “I’m all for living life, but you’ve also got to be a little smart with your money.”
Amore’s move to 205 Live:
“He’s on 205 Live and I think that’s a good little boost for that maybe and the hardcore people that tune into the [WWE] Network to watch it. But I guess they could still use him on RAW though. They do that with a lot of the little, small circle of guys on that show, right? Like Neville…”
Enzo’s 205 Live move probably being a punishment:
“By the way, it could be punishment to him, by putting him on that and the fact that it keeps him on the road now for five f–king days a week instead of going four where he gets to go home after RAW, where he now has to go to SmackDown. I’m telling you this right now, and everybody that is up there [in WWE] knows that five day a week f–king sucks. The four-days, it’s doable. Five, you want to shoot your f–king brains out because you’re never home. You’re home a day-and-a-half at most.”
You can check out the Conversation With The Big Guy podcast by visiting this link here.
On tonight’s episode of RAW, a vignette was shown for former NXT Women’s Champion Asuka. The video revealed that Asuka will be joining the RAW roster soon. Asuka never lost the NXT Women’s Championship, but was forced to relinquish the title due to injury after defeating Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III.
Asuka will now have her sights set on the RAW Women’s Championship when she joins the main roster in the near future.
John Cena pokes fun at Roman Reigns for failing a drug test
This week’s episode of RAW kicked off with Roman Reigns versus Jason Jordan. Reigns won the match but it took him around twenty minutes. John Cena defeated Jordan last week on RAW, but Reigns made fun of Cena for taking over twenty minutes to defeat Jordan. Cena came down to the ring after the match tonight for a promo with Roman Reigns.
During the promo, Reigns bragged about ticket sales and the revenue he brings in. Reigns claimed that WWE doesn’t need Cena anymore and that Cena needs WWE because he cannot break into Hollywood. Cena then got in Reigns’ face and said “at No Mercy, consider me like a drug test homes, you ain’t getting passed me”. Roman Reigns was suspended for violating WWE’s Wellness Policy in July of 2016.
John Cena will face Roman Reigns at WWE No Mercy on September 24th.
– A few days ago on Twitter, WWE Superstar Roman Reigns took to Twitter to send out a prayer to those who would be affected by Hurricane Irma. A fan on Twitter responded in a rather rude way, mocking Reigns’ faith in a higher power, which prompted a savage response from “The Big Dog”:
My prayers go out to everyone dealing with Hurricane Irma. May God bless and protect all those in its path. #BeSafe
– NXT star Mandy Rose saw a “Will You Marry Me?” sign out in the crowd intended for her during this past weekend’s live event from Toronto, where Rose called the fan up to the barricade before taking his sign and ripping it up. Rose played it off as if she was flattered by the sign at first, showing the sign to the crowd before destroying it to a plethora of boos:
John Cena got the best of Roman Reigns two weeks ago on RAW when he delivered a blistering promo on his No Mercy opponent. Cena continued his trash talk on Twitter on Thursday night.
Earlier this week, Reigns wrote:
RESPECT isn't earned with words. It's earned by action. He does the talking and I'll do the walking. #WWENoMercy
Reigns told Cena he’s too old to be talking smack online and challenged him to say what he has to say in person on RAW. Cena said it’s a date and took another shot at Reigns lashing out on social media.
You must be asking people on twitter for insults ?? and aren't you a bit old to smack talk online??? See me at #Raw . https://t.co/7H96E8s9Sl
Last week on Monday Night RAW, Roman Reigns and John Cena laid out the groundwork for their newly formed feud with one another as they approach their one-on-one match at the upcoming No Mercy pay-per-view (PPV). Former WWE Tag Team Champions Edge and Christian took to their podcast, E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, to react to the segment. Here’s what they had to say about Cena and Reigns’ exchange:
Christian:
“I like them to feel organic, in a sense. Do you know what I mean? Where it’s not scripted and I did feel like I don’t think they’re the type of promo that should be done a lot. Do you know what I mean? And I think it’s kind of the right time for something like this to happen. And they addressed a lot of the things and sometimes when things are addressed that are on the internet or out there in the dirtsheets, brother, that sometimes they ignore it or pay no attention to it or whatever, which is what you have to do most times. But sometimes, it’s good to do something like that.
“It’s like, ‘whoa, hold on a second…’ They’re addressing all of the things people say about them or think about them and people think there are legit facts about certain situations and they threw it back and forth at each other and turned it into a real situation that was something that could help a feud like that. These guys are kind of in the same boat. They kind of get similar reactions, so it’ll be interesting and I think it added maybe a little bit of a personal edge to if they’re going to have a match or a feud for however long it’s going to go. I think that it gave them that something personal instead of two guys, ‘I want your spot because you’re leaving – you keep coming back – I want your spot’ kind of thing.”
Edge:
“It’s all the things people assume they think about each other and now it was just validated, like, ‘yeah, that really does happen.’ So here’s where I’ve got to start: why No Mercy? Why? There [has] got to be something going on there. You don’t do this at [No Mercy]. That’s a WrestleMania match! Back to my Brock Lesnar/Samoa Joe [soapbox]. Imagine you put Brock Lesnar/Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns/John Cena on WrestleMania. Sold. Hold on! I’m great-balls-of-fired-up about it, man!
“You put it on Great Balls Of Fire and you put it on No Mercy. Come on! Like, what?” Edge added, “they each have all kinds of opponents. You didn’t have to [book the match now]. That’s all I’m saying, man. There [are] loads of people that you could’ve got through and started those around Royal Rumble season and nobody would’ve touched each other and you have two fresh matches that haven’t happened that people want to see and want to talk about. That’s my take on that.
“Now, the promo itself, here’s what I thought it did. John [has] been in that situation before whether it’s with The Rock… he [has] had to deal with that before and he’s good at it. Reigns hasn’t and you could tell. You could tell that this was his first kind of, ‘okay, how exactly do I do this?’ But I will say, it’s the best promo I’ve ever seen him do because you could tell he really felt what he was saying. Now, I think with more practice, more tune up, he [has] got it because there were a lot more points that he could’ve hit about John that he didn’t. I mean, he could’ve speed bagged John with some of the stuff he could say and he didn’t go there.”
Christian:
“I found kind of a shift in [Reigns’ promo] where seemingly he ran out of words to say and John called him on it and said, ‘this is the reason I had to come back, because you’re not ready, basically, to do this.’ Do you know what I mean? ‘If you’re in this spot, you’re going to have to be able to do this.’ And he called him on it on live television. You could see Roman, almost the steam coming out of his ears. And I think that almost took him to another level. I’ve been there and gone blank on live TV and it’s not a fun feeling and it does something to you.
“You can’t go out there and rely on somebody else’s words, right? Somebody can’t hand you a sheet of paper and say, ‘go out there and read this and you’re going to get over with what’s written on here.’ Almost take the bullet points of it and have the gumption, the initiative, the like [Edge] said, [to] make it your own.” Christian explained, “sometimes things happen out there that aren’t necessarily a bullet point or on a piece of paper and you have to take advantage of those and you can’t be afraid to take advantage of those, right?”
Edge:
“That was a hard way to practice, but I think that was a good learning lesson for Reigns. I feel weird calling him Roman. I don’t know why. But I think that’s where he needs to get to with all of his promos. And that’s how I always looked at things. If you get to a certain place and ‘oh, okay, that is the pocket I need to get to for a promo to feel authentic, genuine, fired up. That’s when people believe. And if you can get there for every promo and find that space and whatever that trigger you need to get you there, that’s where you’ve got to get to in every promo and not every promo needs to be screaming and yelling, but he needs to get to that place for his promos.
“And if he can find that place for all his promos, man, if his promos catch up to his work and his look, now he is ready to take over and John can go to The Today Show or whatever it is.” Edge professed, “you’ve got to be able to think on your feet, know what you’re trying to get across, and go from there. And like I said, I thought that was the best, impassioned kind of promo, that I’ve seen out of him. I mean, it was a very tough situation to have to do it. And, sure, there were some awkward moments for him, but I think he stepped up. I really do.”
Christian:
“It was supposed to be awkward. I mean, that’s the feeling people were supposed to have coming away from it, right? It got people talking and that’s what it’s about. Whether it was awkward, whether he got confused in his head and didn’t have the right words to respond to John to, but it was a great moment, like, it was impactful.”
Edge:
“A couple of those moments got to John too. I know John’s reaction when things get to him. That got to him a little bit, but it was good. Again, it’s WrestleMania. I don’t know why it’s happening at No Mercy. There [has] got to be something scheduling-wise as to why it’s not. Otherwise, ‘WTF,’ as the kids say these days, Bird.”
You can listen to E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness by visiting this link.
WWE COO Triple H recently did an interview with ESPN to talk about a number of professional wrestling topics. During the interview, “The Game” discussed the poor reactions received from the crowd by John Cena and Roman Reigns. He also revealed what he told “The Leader Of The Cenation” when it seemed as though the reactions were getting under his skin. You can see what he had to say here:
What he told John Cena about the negative fan reactions:
“Fans will say that all the time — ‘I hate Roman Reigns’. They did it with [John] Cena, too. I remember telling Cena years ago, when it started happening to him, ‘Dude, what do you care? You’re the Yankees and the Red Sox at the same time.’ The place is sold out.”
Why it doesn’t make sense to turn Roman Reigns heel:
“For the people that hate him, he’s already turned, and for the people that love him, they don’t want him to turn. And if we turned him, the people who hate him would switch to loving him, and the people who love him would switch to hating him.”
You can check out Triple H’s full interview with ESPN by visiting this link.
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns recently spoke with ESPN to talk about a possible reunion with the Shield. Currently Reigns’ former Shield members, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, rule as the RAW Tag Team Champions after dethroning the team of Sheamus and Cesaro at SummerSlam.
Many have been wondering if Reigns would join them soon to fully reunite the beloved stable, but “The Big Dog” says he has unfinished business as a singles competitor first before he can entertain that idea:
“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be able to see it play out,” he said. “But the main thing right now is I’ve been in the title picture for the Raw brand, so I can firmly say neither of those guys would leave [that opportunity] to rejoin The Shield [and] rekindle that flame.”
“Maybe I’m a third wheel at this point,” he said. “It just really depends. I feel like the next few weeks are really going to play out some important things for me. Obviously, I need to transition coming out of this big feud between the four monsters.”
WWE Superstar Roman Reigns spoke with ESPN this week for an in-depth discussion on his television character and why he doesn’t define himself as a babyface or a heel. Instead, Reigns described himself as “the first true gray-area guy” in WWE history.
“To me, I’m neither.” said Reigns “If I’m totally off here, then I’m totally off, but I’m the first of my type. I’m the first true gray area guy … just being what he was born to be.”
The man who retired The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 explained that why he can’t define himself as a heel or babyface.
“I don’t go out there and act crazy and flail around and be a heel,” said Reigns. “I don’t come out there smiling and kissing babies, telling each town it’s my favorite town at the end of the night. I keep it real. Sometimes I’m in a good mood. Sometimes I’m in a bad one. I want my character to be as human as possible, but not just a regular human that you see every single day.”
Reigns continued, “It’s just one of those things that helps me work with everybody. It’s not about, ‘Well, we can’t tell this story because it’s two bad guys going against each other, or it’s two good guys.’ I can adjust to any way [we want to do it]. I can wrestle any way I want. Sometimes you fight pissed off. Sometimes you fight smart with technique. It just depends.”
He also commented on a possible reunion of The Shield. With Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose holding RAW’s tag team championships, he’s the missing piece needed to reform one of the most dominant factions in WWE history. According to Reigns, “we’ll be able to see it play out” over the next few weeks. For now, he’s got other priorities.
“Over the next few weeks, we’ll be able to see it play out,” said Reigns. “The main thing right now is I’ve been in the title picture for the Raw brand, so I can firmly say neither of those guys would leave [that opportunity] to rejoin The Shield [and] rekindle that flame.”
Reigns will face John Cena next month at No Mercy.
Check out the complete Roman Reigns interview at ESPN.com.
The segment between John Cena and Roman Reigns this past Monday Night on Raw was one of the most memorable contract signings in recent WWE history, especially due to its unscripted nature.
During their promos both the stars said things which you normally wouldn’t expect to hear on WWE programming. However, it also made people wonder how much of their promos were scripted and if they were pre-approved.
During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer talked about the contract signing segment between the two and cleared this doubt of people.
According to Meltzer, both Cena and Reigns’ promos were almost entirely scripted and everything controversial said by both the stars was pre approved.
Though it’s worth mentioning here that at one point during the promo Reigns appeared to have genuinely forgotten his lines and John masterfully played it by saying “it’s called a promo, if you wanna be on top you gotta learn how to do them”
While not confirmed, it was probably the only unscripted part of the whole segment which was filled with some very interesting and offensive lines.
Roman Reigns is now scheduled to face John Cena at the upcoming No Mercy PPV on September 24th and it’d be interesting to see how the company will follow the build-up for this match after their confrontation on Raw.
– With their match official for next month’s RAW-brand No Mercy pay-per-view, WWE.com is running a poll asking fans if they think Roman Roman Reigns can fill John Cena’s shoes. As of this writing, 70% of fans say “No. No one will ever be able to replace John Cena” with only 30% saying, “Yes. The Big Dog is the guy now.”
– The following is confirmed for tonight’ episode of NXT on the WWE Network:
Drew McIntyre’s first appearance NXT champion.
Bobby Roode vs. Roderick Strong.
Ruby Riot vs. Peyton Royce.
Heavy Machinery in action.
Plus, there will be appearances from new NXT Tag Team Champions Sanity, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish, NXT General Manager William Regal and more.
The most buzz-worthy segment from Monday’s RAW was John Cena and Roman Reigns’ in-ring segment which many are already calling the promo of the year. Cena and Reigns took the gloves off and got personal by picking each other apart, using some colorful language and breaking the ‘fourth wall’ that separates WWE storylines from real-life issues.
The general consensus is that Cena got the upper hand in this verbal altercation and said some things about Reigns’ inability to connect with the WWE Universe that hit very close to home. Some have been questioning if Cena went ‘off script,’ but due to his stature with the company and WWE’s faith in him, he probably got the green light to say whatever he felt was necessary to sell their upcoming match at No Mercy.
According to ‘Bring it to the Table’ host Peter Rosenberg, the buzz backstage is that Cena was “legit shooting” about everything he said to Reigns.
The buzz of the WWE is that @JohnCena was legit shooting about everything he said to @WWERomanReigns tonight ?
Cena, who is known for posting cryptic photos on Instagram, sent this out after RAW. ‘Ether’ is the 2001 song by Nas savaging former rival Jay-Z and is considered one of the most memorable ‘diss tracks’ in hip hop history.
RAW GM Kurt Angle came down to the ring for a contract signing for the match between Roman Reigns and John Cena at No Mercy. Cena came joined Angle in the ring and stated that this match was the reason that he came to WWE RAW. Cena claimed that Roman Reigns has been protected ever since joining the WWE as a “blue chip prospect”. Cena said that he is the one guy that there is no protection from. Cena said that he knows Roman Reigns doesn’t want to fight him and signed the contract.
Roman Reigns then made his way down to the ring. Reigns approached the desk where the contract was and picked up a microphone. Reigns started to talk but the crowd began to boo. Reigns stated that John Cena is not as big of a deal that he thinks he is. Reigns boasted about retiring The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Roman said that is not that he doesn’t want to fight Cena, he just doesn’t need to.
Cena said that he is a polarizing figure because people want him to change the content of his character and turn heel. Cena then said that the WWE Universe sees Roman Reigns as a “cheap-ass corporately created John Cena bootleg”. Cena said that he is not The Undertaker, he is not a veteran at the end of his career with a bad hip. Cena said he is hungrier than ever and said that Reigns wont sign the contract because he knows when he does, his Roman Empire will be over.
Reigns called Cena the king of spinning things. Roman Reigns said that the crowd boos Cena because he sucks. Cena said that the crowd says Angle sucks too and Roman told him to shut up for a bit. Reigns paused during his promo and Cena said that “it is called a promo kid and that if you want to be the big dog you have to learn how to do them”. Reigns then called Cena a “phony” and a “fake bitch”. Reigns then called Cena a part-timer and said that he busts his ass every week while Cena shows up on the Today Show.
Reigns then said that Cena buries as much young talent as he can so he can stay on top in WWE. Roman said that Cena doesn’t like him because he knows he cannot bury him. Roman said that he doesn’t want to be the next John Cena because he is the one and only Roman Reigns. John Cena stated that Roman Reigns is a fool because he used the same pathetic excuse that every other Superstars in the past.
Cena congratulated Roman Reigns on taking 5 years to cut a half-way decent promo. Cena stated that the fans hold the keys to what Superstars get pushed. Cena said that he hasn’t main-evented WrestleMania in 5 years and was in the opening match at SummerSlam. Cena then said he was honored to hold the United States Championship and introduced WWE to new Superstars like AJ Styles and Kevin Owens. Cena accused Reigns of taking the US Championship as a demotion. Cena then said that he is still in WWE because Roman Reigns cannot do his job.
Cena said that he can do this as a part-timer better than Roman Reigns could ever do it full-time. Roman Reigns then signed the contract to make the match official for WWE No Mercy.
In less than 4 weeks, WWE’s RAW brand presents No Mercy live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Last week on RAW, WWE confirmed the blockbuster main event that will see Brock Lesnar defend the Universal Championship against Bruan Strowman in their first singles match.
WWE has another big match planned for the show that’s sure to make this a must-see event, if it wasn’t already based on Lesnar vs. Strowman.
On Monday night, the WWE mobile app sent out a breaking news alert announcing that John Cena vs. Roman Reigns has been added to the card.
Cena and Reigns had a buzz-worthy confrontation last week and teamed up later in the show to defeat The Miz and Samoa Joe in the main event. WWE.com’s preview for tonight’s RAW questions if the two men can co-exist. Based on the news of their upcoming match, don’t count on it.
Former WWE Champion Sid Vicious recently sat down with Hannibal TV for a shoot interview. During his interview Vicious offered his thoughts on former WWE Universal and United States Champion Kevin Owens. Sid stated that he wasn’t a fan of Owens’ look, weight, and the fact that he wrestles with a shirt on. Vicious noted that Owens being one of the WWE’s top guys must mean business in bad:
“I see people like Kevin Owens and this [Shinsuke Nakamura] guy and these other people like this. I see that and I’m going, ‘Business has got to be bad,” Vicious said. “Or they’re at a point where they don’t care, that’s the only thing I know.”
Sid then went on to praise “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns and said that the former Shield member is ‘light years’ ahead of “KO”:
“I think he’s one of the better talents they’ve got,” Vicious said of Reigns. “He looks credible, he loos good, he’s got a good energy. If we’re gonna compare him to anybody, let’s compare him to the fat guy in a t-shirt Kevin Owens. I think he’s light-years ahead of that guy.”
When asked for his thoughts on current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, Vicious simply said “I think he’s doing a good job.” Vicious actually wrestled Mahal 10 years ago, however, he has no recollection of that match-up.
Former WWE Champion and WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently made an appearance on the Off The Board with Jimmy Traina podcast to promote the upcoming season of Broken Skull Challenge. “The Texas Rattlesnake” talked about Roman Reigns and if he thinks “The Big Dog” would’ve been successful in the Attitude Era, and if he himself believes he would be successful in today’s WWE landscape. The highlights can be found below:
His thoughts on Roman Reigns:
“I think Roman is a star and I think WWE needs to continue to go down the path they’re going with him. They don’t need to flip him heel just arbitrarily to make the fans happy… I think Roman is a star. Now with that being said, is there still room for him to learn and grow? Oh, hell yeah. By leaps and bounds. He’s nowhere near where he will be in three or four years. But at this point in his career, with a few not-so-great booking ideas, but also a learning curve on his part, he is where he’s at and he’s a top guy on that roster and he’s still gonna keep improving and he has to because he’s not a seasoned veteran.
“You put that guy in that line up during the Attitude Era, with that roster of Hall of Famers, guys that have yet to be in the Hall of Fame, holy smokes, I think the guy could’ve been lights out because the competition was so hot, heavy, and fierce. It was sink or swim. You got a bunch of guys out there with knives and you get in the way and they will cut you, so, I think he would’ve thrived in the Attitude Era and right now, just with his looks, his size, his physicality, he’s gonna be just fine and he’s gonna be a big star.”
If he would be a star in the WWE today:
“I’m thankful I came along in the wrestling business when I did because it was the last of the wild, wild west and the last of just going out there and trying to do something to get over and, God dang it, I had a blast.”
You can check out Austin’s full interview on Off The Board with Jimmy Traina here:
