# Roman Reigns On AEW: "I don’t see the real competition with AEW! I’ll throw pretty much the rest of that roster out the club no problem.



## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

For the past 410 days, Roman Reigns has held the WWE’s Universal Championship. In that span, he’s successfully defended the belt against numerous legends. He’s adopted a new entrance theme song that makes him feel like the impossible-to-defeat final boss of your favorite video game. He’s appointed wrestling legend Paul Heyman as his Special Counsel. He’s formed the Bloodline alongside his cousins, Jimmy and Jey Uso. He’s become known as the Tribal Chief and the Head of the Table. Roman Reigns has done many things in those 410 days that have equated to one of the most impressive title runs that we have ever seen in the WWE. And he’s not done. At _Crown Jewel_, airing Thursday, Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. on _Peacock_, he faces one of his toughest tests yet, an angry, cut-off flannel wearing version of Brock Lesnar. 

One thing is for sure though, Reigns remains unphased, regardless of his opponent. He’s stacked two legends in Bryan Danielson and Edge on top of each other at _WrestleMania 37_ to pin them both at once. Just last month at _Extreme Rules_, he emerged victorious over Finn Balor despite him bringing back his fan-favorite “Demon” persona. Back in August at _SummerSlam_, he spoiled John Cena’s comeback to the ring when he pinned the all-time great for the three-count. Given Reigns’ continued dominance, it isn’t entirely surprising that he doesn’t appear shaken by his next opponent, even if Lesnar has proven to be one of the most feared professional wrestlers of all time.

“I’m better at this art form than everybody else. And I stand on that. That’s the totality of it. I’m not just talking about, ‘Oh, his spots are so good and he counters real well.’ That stuff don’t mean anything to me,” says Reigns. “When you tally it all up, nobody touches me in this business.”

At a time in pro wrestling where the landscape is constantly changing and WWE has what feels like its first legitimate competitor since the ‘90s (although Reigns would disagree) in AEW, Reigns has been a constant. For over a year, he has been hoisting the Universal championship belt over his head in victory. And that doesn’t seem like it will be changing any time soon.

Ahead of the Supersized two-and-a-half-hour episode of _SmackDown_ airing this Friday on FS1 and next week’s _Crown Jewel_ pay-per-view, we got a chance to catch up with Reigns over the phone to discuss testing the allegiance of Paul Heyman, why Bret Hart is his dream opponent, what he thinks of CM Punk and the rest of the AEW roster, and more. Check out the full conversation below. But first, acknowledge him.

*SmackDown tomorrow night can’t be contained to two hours this time. You guys are giving us that extra half hour. We know Brock is going to be there, but what can the fans expect from Roman Reigns on tonight’s episode of SmackDown?*
I think if there’s anything I’ve done over the past year or so it’s consistently deliver at the highest level. Tomorrow is no different. I’m not sure exactly what the game plan, but I’ll go out there and obviously put on a show and drive us forward towards this huge pay-per-view that we have coming up in _Crown Jewel_. But it’s going to be a great show. I like to take all the credit if I can, but we’ve been able to put together some really good match-ups going into this. There’s going to be a lot of wrestling, a lot of in-ring competition. And then also I think the storylines continue to unfold. So it’ll be a nice balance of a _SmackDown_.

*You kind of gave me the perfect segue here, but looking ahead to that match at Crown Jewel, the main event with Brock. You guys have obviously main evented big events before, Manias and stuff like that. But in the past, you’ve never been at the level that you’re at right now and he’s never, you know, been a brolic lumberjack before. Does this feel like the biggest encounter yet between you two? What makes this one different in your mind?*
Well, I think you hit it right on the head. We got Brock the Butcher nowadays. You’ve seen a bit of evolution. We’re seeing him with different layers and presented in a different light. I think he’s more comfortable than he’s ever looked on screen, especially with him not having Paul [Heyman] in his corner to kind of lean on for the talking and the different responsibilities throughout the show outside of just suplexing people. I think he’s been able to display more of Brock Lesnar from a personality standpoint. Then for me, like you said man, I’m on a different level now. It was like building a house. I had to stack all these bricks in order to get up and then complete it.
And we’re still working on that, but I think the progression that I’ve made just speaks volumes to where I’m at now. I don’t think it’s really arguable. What I’ve done over the past year, what I’ve done with this Universal Championship, what I’ve done as the face of WWE and the business behind it, I think the greatest result of all of that is all of these huge names that continue to come back just trying to step up to me. They’re acknowledging me. There’s a huge roster that they could have narrowed down to somebody else. But if you’re in WWE, from a full-time standpoint or you’re coming back and you’re trying to put eyes on you, you want to be on the island of relevancy. So I think that that kind of speaks for itself and what I’m doing.
*With this matchup this weekend comes that added wrinkle of Paul Heyman’s connection to both of you. I know he sort of pledged his loyalty to you on SmackDown last week, but how do you expect that dynamic to impact what we’ll see at Crown Jewel?*
Well, that’s our huge variable right now, and that’s kind of where we’re at, trying to sift through the weeds and see who the snake is. But Paul is obviously in a tough place. I don’t discredit or take anything away from his past. It’s like any type of relationship. You’re gonna start blaming the new chick you’re dating because of what she did before she even knew you existed. So it’s one of those things where I can’t blame him for being the advocate to the Beast Incarnate. All I can look at is what we’ve done since _SummerSlam_ 2020, and everything that’s been in the middle of all that, and the progress that we’ve made, and the dominance that we displayed. But at the same time, I gotta be smart about this. My whole family, my bloodline depends on me. What happens to me happens to them, happens to Usos. So, like I always preach to them, we gotta keep our eye on the ball at all times.
*I actually got a chance to speak with Paul Heyman a few months ago. He called you a mega star. He called you the GOAT actually. And I know this might seem like an odd question to ask you, but do you agree with that? As this run continues for you, do you realize the magnitude of what you’re putting together even though you’re in the middle of it, or is that sort of difficult to do in real time?*
No, I think that’s the driving force. That’s why we’re so meticulous in the details and capturing the moment. He may have said this in that same interview, we look at every week as the audition to come back next week. So it’s never like a rest on your laurels type situation. We’re always trying to elevate ourselves to do something special. As far as being the GOAT, I try not to get caught up in all that, but I’m not going to argue against myself. We’ve had a lot of really hot mega stars, like a Steve Austin, a Rock, a John Cena, and they all kind of did it in their own timeframe with their own set of accolades and their own resume. There’s been long title reigns. You can go all the way back to Diesel. You can look at what Brock did. But I don’t think there’s ever been a more transcendent and prestigious title reign where someone is elevating a championship to where it’s clear cut [than mine]. The Universal Championship before I got a hold of it probably would have been looked at as the number two behind the WWE Championship. I’ve literally taken the Universal Championship and elevated it higher than the actual company name champion. What I’m doing right now is greater than the WWE Championship. You can translate that however you want, but there’s one thing that we always say, what’s good for Roman Reigns is good for the WWE. So yeah, we believe in it. These aren’t just promos. I guess because it’s in pro wrestling and sports entertainment they’re considered promos, but I think the most important part is believing in what you’re doing and having that commitment so that’s why everything we do is so authentic and it’s so relatable because if we believe it, then everybody else will.
So yeah, I would definitely put this title reign, the elevation of the title, the progression of the actual performer within myself, and all of the metrics and analytics behind it that you measure these types of things with [at the top]. We aren’t lying. It’s real.

*Pardon the cliche but I have to ask, on that topic of the GOAT discussion and everything like that, is there that dream match for you? Keep it to non-active guys. Is there someone who you would want to tear the house down with if given the opportunity?*
It changes, to be honest. I think there’s an obvious one out there with Dwayne, the Rock. Do either of us really need it? No. But I think it’s something that the fans want to see. They kind of clamor over it and they make their comments and they gossip, and it seems to be that talk that’s constantly brought up. Obviously, we want to please our audience and we want to service them. So if that’s something that they’re into, I have no problem smashing him. _[Laughs]_
I think from my own personal standpoint, I would say Bret Hart because he was just such a hero of mine growing up. Even as a kid in the wrestling business, growing up part of a huge wrestling family, I looked at a lot of the guys as almost like my family’s coworkers, but there was something about Bret. He just made me believe as a kid. He made me believe that pro wrestling was as legitimate as the NFL, any sport you could think of. I think it was just the way he carried himself, the way he attacked it, the psychology, his matches, his presentation, he just felt very real. And I think if you asked him that he would say it’s because it was, it was to him. And he grew up in this business just like I did. You see a lot of generational talents come through this business because this is all we know. This is something that’s been in our blood and something that we can easily connect to. I think if you can connect to it then you can present it properly. And Bret Hart always did that to me.
*Taking it back to the present day, over on RAW you have Big E as a champ right now. I know in the past you’ve sort of been vocal about his potential and it finally seems to have fully come to fruition for him. You’re both veterans at this point, and you both kind of have similar timelines in your career in the sense that you were both at some point part of wildly successful stables. What has your reaction been to seeing him finally capture that title and what he’s been able to achieve on Raw recently?*
As someone who came up with him, I mean, you can go back and there’s like the video of him bench pressing 575. I was the guy spotting him. We were in a workout group—me, him and, Haku’s son Tevita who I believe is in New Japan— but we have a lot of history together. We’ve been around each other quite a bit. Are we like the greatest friends? I’m not going to be texting him today or anything like that, but I think there’s a huge amount of respect and a huge amount of admiration for each other and what we’ve done and where we’ve come from. I think we all knew who Big E was. I think we all knew he was a star, but the path to get there isn’t the same for everybody. So it was really just a matter of time before that opportunity presented itself.
I think it was a different mindset too. Not that we as the Shield—me, Seth and John—weren’t 100% brothers and loved each other and were for each other when we were in the Shield, but there’s a difference. New Day was so much more than just the wrestling business or having some drinks and BS’ing together. Those guys are like blood brothers. They have so many common grounds and hobbies and interests that they share. So I think that was something that kind of slowed that progression from a singles standpoint down. But there’s no denying Big E. I don’t know if you saw him doing the intros for the Wilder-Fury fight, but man, dude looked like an absolute star. Obviously he’s got a great voice and it works perfect for what that opportunity was, but just seeing them, the visual of him opening up, he didn’t look out of place to me at all. If there were people who don’t even know what WWE is or what it’s about. I think they could’ve seen Big E and been like, ‘Man, dude sounds legit. I want to check out what he does.’ He’s entertaining. He’s intense. He checked off all the boxes. I think we were all proud to see him doing his thing. 

*Generally speaking on the professional wrestling landscape right now, it’s not really a direct comparison but it seems like there’s finally a viable competitor to WWE for the first time since the Monday Night Wars. That period gave us the NWO, Rock and Austin, and the list goes on. But that era sparked each company to up their game. Do you have that mindset at all currently? Is having AEW in the rear view that sort of extra motivation for you to perform that much better or make sure those moments you make are that much more impactful for the fans?*
No. I mean, not for me personally. This is one of those subjects that’s very subjective and there’s a lot of passion and tribalism that really sways and creates an unbiased opinion. But I can only speak from my perspective. I’m one of those guys who will compete at anything. Like, ‘I bet you I can eat that cookie faster.’ I want to be the best at anything that I choose to do. We pull up on lawn mowers, we cut the yard in half, I’m going to beat you. My side will look better than yours. So me, I don’t see the real competition [with AEW] because I think their fan base legitimately is a hardcore fan base. So there’s like a ceiling and a built-in ground to that viewership. [The WWE is] trying to connect with everyone. We’re trying to connect with the mainstream. We’re trying to pull in the casual fan. We’re trying to engage the new viewer, while also servicing our hardcore fan base and give them compelling stories to fulfill them as well. I don’t know if I’ve said it before, but I’ve said it before, when the audience is probably the biggest character in your show, that’s strange to me. You’ll hear it all the time, the reviews and the comparisons. I think because they are the new kids on the block, they’re the cool kids in town I guess because of how premature and how novel it kind of still is, I think there still being babied by these hardcore wrestling fans. Which is fine. That’s great. I don’t think anybody’s going to ever, especially from a performance standpoint say, ‘Oh no, there’s more opportunities out there? That sucks.’ So it’s not a bad thing. It’s a great thing for professional wrestling. It’s just a weird argument because there’s so much bias and there’s so much, ‘I’m on this side and I’m not gonna open my mind to the other side.’ And it goes both ways.
As far as competition, not to me. There might be some other people on our roster who maybe think they need to dig deep and get better as a performer and what they do out there at the art form, but there’s nobody in the whole world, any other promotion, in WWE...I’m better at this art form than everybody else. And I stand on that. That’s the totality of it. I’m not just talking about, ‘Oh, his spots are so good and he counters real well.’ That stuff don’t mean anything to me. When you tally it all up, nobody touches me in this business.
*I wanted to ask you about someone specifically on that side of things, CM Punk. He’s gone by the Best in the World. You arguably are that right now in wrestling. I know you guys worked together in some capacity years before, but is there a part of you that wishes you could go toe to toe the way things are set up now and have a big match with him or something like that?*
So I answered a question similar to this a while ago, and it falls back to what our audience wants to see. If our audience wanted to see it and they were clamoring for it, couldn’t shut up about it, and all the stars aligned, as a businessman and as a performer who was trying to seek out the very best for the audience and try to captivate, I wouldn’t say no. But I mean, on a personal level, it doesn’t do anything for me. That’s not going to elevate me at all. He’s older now. I haven’t really seen a full match. I’ve seen a clip or two. And to me, a step or two has been lost. Then also he got his whooped in the UFC. I don’t think anybody really believes someone 200 pounds soaking wet with no explosive bone in their body could ever really do anything to me. I’m 6’3”, 265 pounds, a legitimate athlete who can throw some weight around and has been on the gridiron at the highest level. D1. All ACC. I probably would’ve maintained in the NFL if my health issues didn’t happen when I was 22 years old. So, I mean, when it comes down to it, I’ll throw him and pretty much the rest of that roster out the club no problem. They’re just little brothers, you know?
*To wrap things up here, you’re at this high level. You’re the Head of the Table. You’re at the top right now. So I say that to ask you, where can Roman Reigns go next?*
I think we’re in the middle of what we’re trying to do now. So ultimately I’m focused to finish what we’re doing within this run, wherever that may land. It could be a year from now. It could be five years from now. I’m not sure exactly what that timeframe is going to dictate. But I think for me to continue to compete at the highest level, to perform at the highest level, and to captivate at the highest level. From there, you have to start analyzing yourself and where you’re at mentally and physically and how emotionally connected you are to what you’re doing. I know I can’t do this forever. The ring always hurts. There’s not a fall that feels good. So I think I’m going to have to take all these different nuances and experiences from this form of performing arts and try to translate it on different stages and different platforms. If there’s a way to transition to some different types of entertainment, which obviously everybody’s like ‘movies,’ like that’s the only form. And that would be great. It would be a lot of fun and a great experience to consider, to learn that aspect of it, but there’s a lot of different things you can do to entertain and connect with your fans and people around the world. So there’s so many avenues to explore. I think the sky’s the limit really. It’s just whatever I want to do, narrowing that focus down, and getting somewhat tunnel vision on that goal at hand. I think I’ll be fine.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Source plz


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## ShadowCounter (Sep 1, 2016)

This guy. He's been pushed down our throats for half a decade cause of his family connections and ratings have disappeared faster than HBK's hair during that time. Now, he wants to act like he's some big draw. He's literally the only thing going in the WWE cause they can't walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. They've devoted EVERYTHING to this guy to the detriment of everyone else. If he got hurt tomorrow who steps in? WWE would be completely fucked.


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

This should go well.


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## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Source plz











WWE’s Universal Champion Roman Reigns Remains Unmatched: ‘Nobody Touches Me in This Business’


WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns talks Supersized Smackdown, his upcoming match with Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel, CM Punk, AEW, and more.




www.complex.com


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

He's in character and is a company man who's known nothing but being pushed to the moon by the company. What would you expect him to say?


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## Undertaker23RKO (Jun 11, 2011)

Probably not newsworthy. He's in character or bluntly honest for the whole thing. There is nothing here that's out of line or worth getting riled up about.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Smark1995 said:


> WWE’s Universal Champion Roman Reigns Remains Unmatched: ‘Nobody Touches Me in This Business’
> 
> 
> WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns talks Supersized Smackdown, his upcoming match with Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel, CM Punk, AEW, and more.
> ...


thanks - on OP

Reigns is playing his character and playing it well

good job from him

i think Mox, Eddie, Archer will likely fuck him up. Hagar likely too

but not many others - the dude is built, no lie


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## FriedTofu (Sep 29, 2014)

In character interviews are always fun just to see smarks get worked up over nothing.


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## TonySirico (Sep 8, 2021)

That was more eloquent than any promo he ever cut on tv, the fucking stunad


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Source plz


*Here's the quote from your Tribal Chief and the REAL Needle Mover, Roman Reigns. Acknowledge him.*


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449024538860142595


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## [email protected] (Oct 9, 2013)

He plays a character. Not sure there is any news here


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

The Legit DMD said:


> *Here's the quote from your Tribal Chief and the REAL Needle Mover, Roman Reigns. Acknowledge him.*
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449024538860142595


Sure… there he is

he’s been acknowledged    

i hope he proves how tough he is and shoots on Lesnar


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Just want to make sure here lads

this counts as ‘WWE taking a shot and also acknowledging the competition’ right?

want to make sure when it gets brought up that DubDubE never takes shots and shuts up about AEW


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## Dr. Middy (Jan 21, 2015)

It's an in character interview, makes sense to shoot a bit to get heat on himself, since I'd guess a good bunch of AEW fans still watch WWE. 

Other than that, nice to see him mostly stay in character on these things. Dude is doing a hell of a job in this role.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Just want to make sure here lads
> 
> this counts as ‘WWE taking a shot and also acknowledging the competition’ right?
> 
> want to make sure when it gets brought up that DubDubE never takes shots and shuts up about AEW


Yup counts as a shot, while it's somewhat in character you don't go out your way to point out that AEW is babied by the hardcore fans because it's new it you don't believe that. Even if he pulled it back around to mention both sides have fans that won't give the other side a chance, it's obvious to some degree he finds the "babying" annoying. 

But talk that shit though every champion should feel they're putting down the best shit especially heel champions


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## AuthorOfPosts (Feb 9, 2020)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> thanks - on OP
> 
> Reigns is playing his character and playing it well
> 
> ...


Moxley? Are you being serious? That guy only knows how to hurt himself. Not a tough guy at all. And Eddie is just a typical, loud mouthed New Yorker.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

ShadowCounter said:


> This guy. He's been pushed down our throats for half a decade cause of his family connections and ratings have disappeared faster than HBK's hair during that time. Now, he wants to act like he's some big draw. He's literally the only thing going in the WWE cause they can't walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. They've devoted EVERYTHING to this guy to the detriment of everyone else. If he got hurt tomorrow who steps in? WWE would be completely fucked.


Hey weren't you complaining about folk only being negative about AEW lol



ShadowCounter said:


> Yes, it is. BUT when that is the ONLY thing you do here...that should be called out as well, right?


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Yup counts as a shot, while it's somewhat in character you don't go out your way to point out that AEW is babied by the hardcore fans because it's new it you don't believe that. Even if he pulled it back around to mention both sides have fans that won't give the other side a chance, it's obvious to some degree he finds the "babying" annoying.
> 
> But talk that shit though every champion should feel they're putting down the best shit especially heel champions


I have no problem with the shots

just making a mental note of this in future when people say ‘stop talking about wwe’


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

AuthorOfPosts said:


> Moxley? Are you being seriously? That guy only knows how to hurt himself. Not a tough guy at all. And Eddie is just a typical, loud mouthed New Yorker.


Mox can take a beating and Eddie is a street mutt - i’d give both a chance against Roman

neither one of the 3 i would give a chance against Hagar, Lesnar, Lashly - just for context


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> I have no problem with the shots
> 
> just making a mental note of this in future when people say ‘stop talking about wwe’


I really don't get why folk just don't make use of the "no comment" answer more. It's honestly a bigger diss than anything shits so belittling to an actual rival or competitor lol


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> I really don't get why folk just don't make use of the "no comment" answer more. It's honestly a bigger diss than anything shits so belittling to an actual rival or competitor lol


Cause ‘no comment’ gets no clicks


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Cause ‘no comment’ gets no clicks


True lol. But with the way entertainment writers twist and spin it might be an even bigger story

Writer: Kenny I also wanted to ask what you thought about the upcoming WrestleMania 38 card

Kenny: Oh no comment on thought, I'm just here to talk about what I'll be doing come Double or Nothing 4




Headline: * Kenny Omega gives no fucks about Reigns vs Rock and you shouldn't either. 10 reasons why AEW is killing WWE *


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## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

Damn he really dislikes Punk.

His comment on AEW isn't as bad as it is on CM Punk.

I think he really isn't letting go of "Gotta make Roman look strong" said by Punk that pretty much became a meme and was constantly used against him. It wasn't even a dig at Roman but at WWE creative.

Punk gave him his flowers recently but Roman still seems pissed at him.


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

TL;DR.
And Reigns is all show, no substance. True, he´s bigger than most on the AEW roster and could probably easily kick both of the Bucks and Omega at once, and Punk as a warm-up. But there´s gonna be a problem with Hager, Wardlow, Archer, perhaps even Luchasaurus and Scorpio Sky... And Arn would just pull out his Glock and shoot him


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

yeahright2 said:


> TL;DR.
> And Reigns is all show, no substance. True, he´s bigger than most on the AEW roster and could probably easily kick both of the Bucks and Omega at once, and Punk as a warm-up. But there´s gonna be a problem with Hager, Wardlow, Archer, perhaps even Luchasaurus and Scorpio Sky... And Arn would just pull out his Glock and shoot him


Lol, I would give Kenny good odds against him personally

if he can last 2min, he can blow Roman up


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

zkorejo said:


> Damn he really dislikes Punk.
> 
> His comment on AEW isn't as bad as it is on CM Punk.
> 
> ...


Definitely some lingering salt there and it definitely was a dig at Reigns lol.


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## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Definitely some lingering salt there and it definitely was a dig at Reigns lol.


Was it? I always took it as "Vince chose a green guy that I didn't even want in Shield and wanted me to make him look strong". I mean come on.. how is he wrong there. I think we all agree Vince jumped the gun on Roman push. He should have taken it slow. I always took Punk's statement to be in that vein.


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Lol, I would give Kenny good odds against him personally
> 
> if he can last 2min, he can blow Roman up


But he won´t last 2 minutes. Roman´s Football stats (which aren´t as exaggerated as wrestling stats) billed him at 280- He´ll just tackle Omega, and that would be it. I know Omega has experimented with MMA, but the only fighters he could actually beat was someone even worse than himself.. Even then he was more concerned about making a spectacle and pander to the crowd rather than actually fighting.


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## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Mox can take a beating and Eddie is a street mutt - i’d give both a chance against Roman
> 
> neither one of the 3 i would give a chance against Hagar, Lesnar, Lashly - just for context


Hager, Ogogo, Lesnar, Lashley, and Gable Stephenson are the only ones who would win actual fights. The rest is just wrestlers talking in character.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

zkorejo said:


> Was it? I always took it as "Vince chose a green guy that I didn't even want in Shield and wanted me to make him look strong". I mean come on.. how is he wrong there. I think we all agree Vince jumped the gun on Roman push. He should have taken it slow. I always took Punk's statement to be in that vein.


Having some truth to a statement doesn't stop it from being a shot. Punk isn't dumb he knew nothing good was going to come to Reigns with him saying

"yeah Vince made me work with this green guy I didn't even want to work with because he's desperate to push him, I really wanted to work with this indie guy you all enjoy. Then they're all make the green guy look good, as if I don't know that" 


Reigns isn't wrong in his assessment that he doesn't need Punk, Punk has lost a step, and he got whooped in the UFC. But it's still an unnecessary shot that he took because now he's in a position to take it.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Prized Fighter said:


> Hager, Ogogo, Lesnar, Lashley, and Gable Stephenson are the only ones who would win actual fights. The rest is just wrestlers talking in character.


All true


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

RapShepard said:


> Hey weren't you complaining about folk only being negative about AEW lol


*Did you REALLY expect them to keep the same energy?! 😂😂😂*


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## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Having some truth to a statement doesn't stop it from being a shot. Punk isn't dumb he knew nothing good was going to come to Reigns with him saying
> 
> "yeah Vince made me work with this green guy I didn't even want to work with because he's desperate to push him, I really wanted to work with this indie guy you all enjoy. Then they're all make the green guy look good, as if I don't know that"
> 
> ...


Hmm. That's one way to look at it. I think Punks issues were with WWE only and not any wrestlers in the roster (apart from maybe Ryback injuring him). 

So yeah maybe he did say it to hurt their plans of getting him over as top babyface but it wasn't the only reason why Roman failed at that. It was bad creative and Daniel Bryan not winning Royal Rumble. I am pretty sure that Royal Rumble happened before the Punk interview (could be wrong didn't recheck).


----------



## nunzioguy (May 16, 2021)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Just want to make sure here lads
> 
> this counts as ‘WWE taking a shot and also acknowledging the competition’ right?
> 
> want to make sure when it gets brought up that DubDubE never takes shots and shuts up about AEW



The forced pyro after the explosion were all I needed to know about shots. WWE used ban pyro for budget cuts.

They not only took a shot they PAID to. Paid a lot, as I can't imagine pyro is cheap if they banned it for a few years.


----------



## Soul Rex (Nov 26, 2017)

As a Punk fan, I gotta say that he looks less credible now that ever, it's the sad true, he is old, broken and skinnier, he looks like some old random celebrity trying to wrestle for first time.

Someone tell my boy to get on some good gear, forget about straight edge bullshit or retire. 😭


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

zkorejo said:


> Hmm. That's one way to look at it. I think Punks issues were with WWE only and not any wrestlers in the roster (apart from maybe Ryback injuring him).
> 
> So yeah maybe he did say it to hurt their plans of getting him over as top babyface but it wasn't the only reason why Roman failed at that. It was bad creative and Daniel Bryan not winning Royal Rumble. I am pretty sure that Royal Rumble happened before the Punk interview (could be wrong didn't recheck).


Nah the Punk interview happened in November of 2014 before Bryan came back from his neck injury. This is when The Shield broke up and Ambrose went after Rollins and Reigns went after Randy and Big Show

It's just one of those things were even taking in the best light was it a comment that really needed to be said? Did him pointing out Reigns was green and needed help looking good really add to the overall point of WWE made him miserable lol. Same with Reigns, does he really need to point out Punk's failed UFC run to make the "fuck that guy" point. Because hey it did take balls for Punk to do it.


----------



## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

The Legit DMD said:


> *Did you REALLY expect them to keep the same energy?! 😂😂😂*


Yes, you “totally” keep the same energy when roles are reversed.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

The funny thing about those Roman quotes is that he is doing exactly what he is accusing AEW of doing and that is catering to his fanbase. There is nothing wrong with that and I assume most of this is in kayfabe, but it is still true.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

The Legit DMD said:


> *Did you REALLY expect them to keep the same energy?! *


 it's just like be less obvious. like @Prosper is definitely firm on the AEW > WWE side of things and has more things he hates about WWE than likes. But most his posts in the WWE section is about shit he likes, hope goes well, and a "peace out" when he's over it . That's keeping the same energy


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> it's just like be less obvious. like @Prosper is definitely firm on the AEW > WWE side of things and has more things he hates about WWE than likes. But most his posts in the WWE section is about shit he likes, hope goes well, and a "peace out" when he's over it . That's keeping the same energy


That was me when i watched WWE

boy did I defend Daniel Bryan against the critics


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> That was me when i watched WWE
> 
> boy did I defend Daniel Bryan against the critics


How it's supposed to be. I've been on the "nah Reigns is pretty dope" train since the push started lol.


----------



## ElTerrible (Feb 8, 2004)

Said it many times Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are the guys TK needs. These two playing the Outsiders, betraying Moxley and turning the beloved Jungle Boy into Hollywood Jack Perry with Anna Jay in the process would be the needle moving storyline AEW needs to seriously threaten WWE over time. At this point AEW doesn´t need stars anymore, they need a captivating idea and this would write itself. Reigns in AEW in Chicago would be like Sgt. Slaughter in the LA Coliseum heat.


----------



## Freelancer (Aug 24, 2010)

That means alot coming from the guy that, during his mega push, the ratings keep sinking lower and lower in the toilet. I guess he is related to the Rock though.........


----------



## ElTerrible (Feb 8, 2004)

Freelancer said:


> That means alot coming from the guy that, during his mega push, the ratings keep sinking lower and lower in the toilet. I guess he is related to the Rock though.........


This is a win-win for Roman. He massages Vince´s balls, but at the same time he cultivates the greatest heel gimmick available in pro wrestling (AEW Roman) for his next contract negotiation.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Freelancer said:


> That means alot coming from the guy that, during his mega push, the ratings keep sinking lower and lower in the toilet. I guess he is related to the Rock though.........


Best ratings in the business... Could day he's the best in the world


----------



## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Best ratings in the business... Could day he's the best in the world


Nah, ratings were higher several years ago. 

Besides, AJ Styles is the best wrestler/talent in that company atm.


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

RapShepard said:


> How it's supposed to be. I've been on the "nah Reigns is pretty dope" train since the push started lol.


*Facts. You were one of the people I could count on one hand back in 2014 that liked him here. *


----------



## Bubbly2 (Jan 15, 2021)

That was a fun interview to read lol. 
Tbf Roman is the best thing in wrestling atm (in a cesspool of a company) so he can say all that.


----------



## A PG Attitude (Nov 5, 2012)

Roman might be doing great work at moment. But the show still sucks because they haven't built anyone up to feud with him. What good is a monster heel if you don't have a line of over babyfaces for them to feud with.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

DammitChrist said:


> Nah, ratings were higher several years ago.
> 
> Besides, AJ Styles is the best wrestler/talent in that company atm.


Can't have it both ways either times are right or @Chip Chipperson and others are totally being fair when they point out TNA did better numbers than AEW 



The Legit DMD said:


> *Facts. You were one of the people I could count on one hand back in 2014 that liked him here. *


Facts lol. Man just fits in the WWE brawling main event style.


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Lol


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449071491543441418


----------



## Rankles75 (May 29, 2011)

Great interview, talks a lot of sense.


----------



## Ockap (Jun 11, 2021)

Roman could prob legit beat up more than half the roster. More than half the roster prob aren't even tall enough to be at chest level lol.


----------



## Brodus Clay (Jan 6, 2012)

Cool companies jabbing each other, liked Roman response was well made and in character.


----------



## Upstart474 (May 13, 2018)

Roman is in character and does not fear AEW.


----------



## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Lol
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449071491543441418


Don Callis wins the internet here


----------



## TMTT (Nov 21, 2016)

It should be fun to watch him try to throw out Junior Dos Santos from a club.


----------



## xDD (Feb 7, 2014)

Ockap said:


> Roman could prob legit beat up more than half the roster. More than half the roster prob aren't even tall enough to be at chest level lol.


I doubt Roman had a real fight, so how do we know if it's true or not?


----------



## Tell it like it is (Jul 1, 2019)

Slow day in this board i see


----------



## Fearless Viper (Apr 6, 2019)

AEW marks are now triggered! They can't handle the truth!


----------



## Tell it like it is (Jul 1, 2019)

Fearless Viper said:


> AEW marks are now triggered! They can't handle the truth!


Sure man, whatever helps you sleep at night.


----------



## Dark Emperor (Jul 31, 2007)

Prized Fighter said:


> Hager, Ogogo, Lesnar, Lashley, and Gable Stephenson are the only ones who would win actual fights. The rest is just wrestlers talking in character.


Left out Matt Riddle. The person with the best MMA credentials after Lesnar


----------



## Dark Emperor (Jul 31, 2007)

RapShepard said:


> Having some truth to a statement doesn't stop it from being a shot. Punk isn't dumb he knew nothing good was going to come to Reigns with him saying
> 
> "yeah Vince made me work with this green guy I didn't even want to work with because he's desperate to push him, I really wanted to work with this indie guy you all enjoy. Then they're all make the green guy look good, as if I don't know that"
> 
> ...


Punk also said he was pushing for Chris Hero to be put in the Shield instead of Reigns. 

Says it all really, i wouldn't have many positive things to say about Punk either


----------



## Dickhead1990 (Aug 31, 2016)

Of course he would say that, he's the manufactured boyband of professional wrestling. He wouldn't dare speak positively about AEW (kayfabe or otherwise).

AEW are playing genuinely energetic rock music, while Reigns is lip syncing to a cover song.


----------



## Botchy SinCara (Apr 24, 2013)

Roman must not be over the whole "make Roman look strong " comment 

Reings wish he could get the type of love punk gets from fans


----------



## SevenStarSplash (Jul 29, 2021)

All that talk and Roman still can't salvage the WWE from incompetent booking. He's improved definitely with his world championship run but he has the corporate stink permanently on him and we all know WHY he's at the top. He says AEW has a lower ceiling which can be true but it's not exactly a fixed position, AEW can continue to grow (and stall at times for years on end) but just remember everytime AEW is on tv there is a higher chance that it's a young person's first time seeing pro wrestling.....kids will ALWAYS gravitate towards the more adult product which is AEW. Roman says also that WWE caters to everyone which is true....but why doesnt their show reflect that? They are always bringing in older stars to reinforce their shows (Goldberg, undertaker, Lesnar etc) why would a NEW fan care about these guys without knowing the context? WWE doesn't ever give enough explanations to the audience about these wrestlers.
Roman is simply towing the company line here but I feel he is speaking through the corporate lens rather than the reality.


----------



## elo (Oct 25, 2006)

Roman Reigns acknowledging AEW in any fashion is a win for AEW.

Khan can't believe his luck this week, one tweet has completely triggered WWE into a fake war and complete acknowledgement of his company being a legit competitor.


----------



## rich110991 (Aug 27, 2020)

I am triggered 😂

He’s so entitled with his superman booking from day 1. Of course he now feels like a big deal having been forced on us for a decade and being practically unbeatable. That’s why he’s bigger than the entire WWE roster too. But AEW ain’t gonna screw their talent like that. I like him, just hate this trash he comes out with about AEW and Punk.


----------



## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

SevenStarSplash said:


> All that talk and Roman still can't salvage the WWE from incompetent booking. He's improved definitely with his world championship run but he has the corporate stink permanently on him and we all know WHY he's at the top. He says AEW has a lower ceiling which can be true but it's not exactly a fixed position, AEW can continue to grow (and stall at times for years on end) but just remember everytime AEW is on tv there is a higher chance that it's a young person's first time seeing pro wrestling.....kids will ALWAYS gravitate towards the more adult product which is AEW. Roman says also that WWE caters to everyone which is true....but why doesnt their show reflect that? They are always bringing in older stars to reinforce their shows (Goldberg, undertaker, Lesnar etc) why would a NEW fan care about these guys without knowing the context? WWE doesn't ever give enough explanations to the audience about these wrestlers.
> Roman is simply towing the company line here but I feel he is speaking through the corporate lens rather than the reality.


Yeah it’s not like AEW hasn’t used DDP, Anderson, Blanchard, Sting, Big Show, Christian, Henry, Taz, JR, Tony, and a 50 year old Jericho to promote their show. Or that they didn’t sign and hype a guy who hadn’t worked in 7 years or been seen on to in any action sans getting his ass kicked in Punk. Or they did t take the face of NXT in Cole. Or they didn’t sign Romans WM opponent Bryan. Or they haven’t spent months using a hardy to promote multiple acts. Or they didn’t book their main mid card champ as the same act he was in wwe with the us title no replace the letters with tnt.

I mean look at all that home grown talent they push in AEW.

I mean look at All Out, it’s not like every main match they booked and closing segments did not include wwe guys short of the tag title match lol.

AEW is a land of opportunity … it’s a land of freedom and second chances … unless if you’re a black male talent, then your ass ain’t making the Pay Per View at all and you damn sure ain’t go be booked with the Elite … unless if they bury you 10 feet deep to ruin your credibility like they did Swan and Moose

AEW is original down to their reality tv with Cody. But the Bella’s happened to do the concept first and Miz and Maryse have did it for years now.


----------



## SevenStarSplash (Jul 29, 2021)

wwetna1 said:


> Yeah it’s not like AEW hasn’t used DDP, Anderson, Blanchard, Sting, Big Show, Christian, Henry, Taz, JR, Tony, and a 50 year old Jericho to promote their show. Or that they didn’t sign and hype a guy who hadn’t worked in 7 years or been seen on to in any action sans getting his ass kicked in Punk. Or they did t take the face of NXT in Cole. Or they didn’t sign Romans WM opponent Bryan. Or they haven’t spent months using a hardy to promote multiple acts. Or they didn’t book their main mid card champ as the same act he was in wwe with the us title no replace the letters with tnt.
> 
> I mean look at all that home grown talent they push in AEW.
> 
> ...


Sure you make good points, but Roman saying there's a limit to AEWs growth can only be actually known 5 years or so into the companies life span. I'm not an AEW fan or WWE fan, I don't care about one winning over the other...I just want pro wrestling to be good.


----------



## Soul Rex (Nov 26, 2017)

SevenStarSplash said:


> Sure you make good points, but Roman saying there's a limit to AEWs growth can only be actually known 5 years or so into the companies life span. I'm not an AEW fan or WWE fan, I don't care about one winning over the other...I just want pro wrestling to be good.


They are limiting themselves with their bussines model, what have they exactly done lately to gain new fans? Absolutely nothing.

You don't really need to be that smart to understand their growth ain't going nowhere.


----------



## kazarn (May 8, 2020)

Whats the big deal, it's an interview completely in character.


----------



## JackWagon21 (Oct 15, 2021)

wwetna1 said:


> Yeah it’s not like AEW hasn’t used DDP, Anderson, Blanchard, Sting, Big Show, Christian, Henry, Taz, JR, Tony, and a 50 year old Jericho to promote their show. Or that they didn’t sign and hype a guy who hadn’t worked in 7 years or been seen on to in any action sans getting his ass kicked in Punk. Or they did t take the face of NXT in Cole. Or they didn’t sign Romans WM opponent Bryan. Or they haven’t spent months using a hardy to promote multiple acts. Or they didn’t book their main mid card champ as the same act he was in wwe with the us title no replace the letters with tnt.
> 
> I mean look at all that home grown talent they push in AEW.
> 
> ...


Fuck me, you're still around? Bad enough we got Chip and Legit Dickhead stinking up the joint, but we got you and your pro-wwe propaganda as well? Jesus fuck lol. As for the lack of black male talent, give it time. It's easy for wwe because they got 12 different rosters and brands lmao. Hope you're not naive enough to think Big E or Lashley would be a world champion if the rosters were unified, not over Vince's crush Roman Reigns. Or maybe you are lol. Damn, black wrestlers get some playfighting gold and it's "Vince luv da black people!" whilst ignoring wwe's racist history. Christ.


----------



## SevenStarSplash (Jul 29, 2021)

For those defending Roman just remember the following:

Roman Reigns is the strongest most protected wrestler WWE have ever had


Can't boost ratings more than 5% when he goes to Raw
His announcement to a heavily promoted show in December accounted for an extra 100 tickets (they sold 65 the day before his announced appearence)
Single handedly caused 3m viewers to tune out between 2015 and 2020

Had to take 6 months off to get in shape, already looking flabby being on the road for 6 weeks
Has never had a good match
WWE literally had to give away their PPVs for a subscription fee when he wasn't drawing
Fan attendance down
Ratings down
PPV buys down
WWE Network subs were so low (even with giving away 3 months for 99¢) that Vince sold it at a loss
WWE has to do Hollywood accounting to make their company look good now he's front and centre again


----------



## Tell it like it is (Jul 1, 2019)

SevenStarSplash said:


> For those defending Roman just remember the following:
> 
> Roman Reigns is the strongest most protected wrestler WWE have ever had
> 
> ...


Nah bruh, over here we acknowledge The Rock's cousin...


----------



## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

SevenStarSplash said:


> For those defending Roman just remember the following:
> 
> Roman Reigns is the strongest most protected wrestler WWE have ever had


Ever lol. You do realise Hogan went 6 1/2 years without losing clean. Austin lost clean once in his 5 year run on top. Lesnars push dwarfs that of Reigns 

Wasn't Cena the most protected according to IWC... 



> [*]Can't boost ratings more than 5% when he goes to Raw


His appearance saw viewership rise vs nfl. How many others have done that and we see Reigns every week, not like he is a special attraction. How much did Steve Austins appearance boost Raw last year around this time... Oh yeah around 5%...



> [*]His announcement to a heavily promoted show in December accounted for an extra 100 tickets (they sold 65 the day before his announced appearence)






> [*]Single handedly caused 3m viewers to tune out between 2015 and 2020


Fuck off. Reigns has appeared once on Raw in 2 1/2 years (the other week) but you are blaming him for the show losing viewers in that time. I guess Reigns is also at fault for everything else on TV that has seen viewers fall too like mlb playoffs, nba conference finals, nascar etc? 



> [*]Had to take 6 months off to get in shape, already looking flabby being on the road for 6 weeks


Lol what



> [*]Has never had a good match


Ok bud



> [*]WWE literally had to give away their PPVs for a subscription fee when he wasn't drawing


What the fuck you talking about. Network started in February 2014, a year before Reigns even mainevented a ppv in singles capacity. 

WWE started the network because they wanted to cut out middle man (ppv providers) that were taking half their revenue and it worked. PPV revenue in 2010 was $70m, network revenue in 2018 was $200 million. 



> [*]Fan attendance down


Actually fan attendance didn't drop that much at all after Cena stopped weekly. That's massive credit to Reigns. 



> [*]Ratings down


You already mentioned ratings so now just repeating yourself.. 



> [*]PPV buys down


Network replaced ppv



> [*]WWE Network subs were so low (even with giving away 3 months for 99¢) that Vince sold it at a loss


Vince didn't sell network lol. He sold US rights for 5 years for $1 billion. 

And yeah no streaming service tries to entice new or lapsed users. I don't get free trial offers from Netflix all the time, I guess that service must be failing. 


> [*]WWE has to do Hollywood accounting to make their company look good now he's front and centre again


Hollywood accounting, the fuck is that


----------



## Gn1212 (May 17, 2012)

zkorejo said:


> Damn he really dislikes Punk.
> 
> His comment on AEW isn't as bad as it is on CM Punk.
> 
> ...


Can't blame him on that. Punk's comments jeopardised Roman's career at the time. The guy is lucky Vince is head over heels in love with him.


----------



## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

He's not entirely wrong.

But he should realise WWE has a ceiling too as evidenced by the fact they're losing viewers every year without making new ones. 

Sure, this could be AEWs audience going forward and they may never grow beyond this point but let not pretend that WWE has means to get way bigger than it is because "they connect with everyone" 

If that was the case, they'd be way more into the mainstream eye than they currently are and AEW would be right behind them because that'd mean the demand for wrestling would be huge.

Let's not forget that at its peak, the WWE Network never cracked (or just about touched) 2,000,000 subscribers worldwide when they were targeting 5,000,000 for the US alone.

And that was when everyone was losing their mind that they'd be getting all PPVs, an incredible back catalog and all for 9.99.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

AEW is a hardcore low level nation company, a little bigger than ECW was in its peak. The problem is, that low level national company is competitive with WWE on TV and in attendance because WWE is fallen so low that they're not doing much at this point either.


----------



## shawnyhc01 (Feb 25, 2011)

Good to see AEW brought up some major WWE players attention since WCW vs WWE era.


----------



## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

Erik. said:


> He's not entirely wrong.
> 
> But he should realise WWE has a ceiling too as evidenced by the fact they're losing viewers every year without making new ones.
> 
> ...


They never targetted 5m. Barrios said 3-4m would be transformational but 2m would be great WWE Network can get 3-4 million subscribers: Exec

5m is just lunacy as is 4m considering at their peak of popularity they only sold ppv in 950,000 domestic homes for their biggest ever show so expecting 5 times that was never happening. Back catalog also wasn't a draw as WWE classics on demand had been airing the back catalog on cable for years and peaked at 120,000 but usually averaged around 80k



The XL 2 said:


> AEW is a hardcore low level nation company, a little bigger than ECW was in its peak. The problem is, that low level national company is competitive with WWE on TV and in attendance because WWE is fallen so low that they're not doing much at this point either.



ECW while massively influencial was a promotion working on a shoe string out of Heyman mothers kitchen.

AEW is a promotion run by a multi billionaire who owns a nfl team, four seasons hotel and soccer club in the most affluent area in London.

Not comparable at all. While every other business on earth is cutting costs during biggest pandemic on earth in 100 years AEW are spending tens of millions.


----------



## DoctorWhosawhatsit (Aug 23, 2016)

validreasoning said:


> His appearance saw viewership rise vs nfl. How many others have done that and we see Reigns every week, not like he is a special attraction. How much did Steve Austins appearance boost Raw last year around this time... Oh yeah around 5%...


So you're saying WWe's face, the most pushed superstar on the show by far, can't outdraw someone that's been retired 15+ years that any fan with half a brain knows won't actually do anything on the show?


----------



## Charzhino (Nov 20, 2007)

Character work or not, he means everything he said. And hes right. He is bigger than AEW.


----------



## ripcitydisciple (Dec 18, 2014)

SevenStarSplash said:


> All that talk and Roman still can't salvage the WWE from incompetent booking. He's improved definitely with his world championship run but he has the corporate stink permanently on him and we all know WHY he's at the top. He says AEW has a lower ceiling which can be true but it's not exactly a fixed position, AEW can continue to grow (and stall at times for years on end) but just remember everytime AEW is on tv there is a higher chance that it's a young person's first time seeing pro wrestling.....kids will ALWAYS gravitate towards the more adult product which is AEW. Roman says also that WWE caters to everyone which is true....but why doesnt their show reflect that? They are always bringing in older stars to reinforce their shows (Goldberg, undertaker, Lesnar etc) why would a NEW fan care about these guys without knowing the context? WWE doesn't ever give enough explanations to the audience about these wrestlers.
> Roman is simply towing the company line here but I feel he is speaking through the corporate lens rather than the reality.


Whoa whoa whoa! You're asking WWE diehards about context? They don't know what that means.


----------



## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

I'm a little surprised that many of the Dubbalos on here are actually being pleasant about it, gotta keep up their image as the good guys right? but you still have the few typical shills getting butthurt about it.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

validreasoning said:


> And yeah no streaming service tries to entice new or lapsed users. I don't get free trial offers from Netflix all the time, I guess that service must be failing.


It was always weird folk would point out new user free trials as a knock against the WWE Network as if new user free trials aren't the standard. Certainly you could knock them for not getting projected numbers. But knocking them for standard streaming practices was weird


----------



## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

DoctorWhosawhatsit said:


> So you're saying WWe's face, the most pushed superstar on the show by far, can't outdraw someone that's been retired 15+ years that any fan with half a brain knows won't actually do anything on the show?


Austins a special attraction and his rare appearances are built and advertised for weeks. Reigns is on TV every week, miss him on Monday he will be on TV again Friday and Friday following week.

I don't understand people knocking Reigns for adding viewers vs NFL...


----------



## God Movement (Aug 3, 2011)

Well, there you have it.


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> I'm a little surprised that many of the Dubbalos on here are actually being pleasant about it, gotta keep up their image as the good guys right? but you still have the few typical shills getting butthurt about it.


Lol - damned if you do, damned if you don’t

triggered and its ‘why u so triggered’ / not triggered and its ‘playing good guys’

almost like the deck is stacked and filled with bias - but that can’t be…. Right?


----------



## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Lol - damned if you do, damned if you don’t
> 
> triggered and its ‘why u so triggered’ / not triggered and its ‘playing good guys’
> 
> almost like the deck is stacked and filled with bias - but that can’t be…. Right?


Nothing wrong with it, just surprised considering how most Dubbalos act on here.


----------



## Interceptor88 (May 5, 2010)

THANOS said:


> He's in character and is a company man who's known nothing but being pushed to the moon by the company. What would you expect him to say?





Undertaker23RKO said:


> Probably not newsworthy. He's in character or bluntly honest for the whole thing. There is nothing here that's out of line or worth getting riled up about.


Why are you guys bringing things such as logic and common sense to a thread where people are supposed to act like fanboying chimpancees throwing feces at each other? Tsk.


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

Fearless Viper said:


> AEW marks are now triggered! They can't handle the truth!


*It's funny how they celebrate Tony Khan's baseless shit talking and cry about Roman telling the truth. I'm loving every bit of this.*


----------



## BigRedMonster47 (Jul 19, 2013)

Charzhino said:


> Character work or not, he means everything he said. And hes right. He is bigger than AEW.


Great interview from our Tribal Chief 😉😉


----------



## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449516747317551104
I think JDS is transitioning to wrestling for good?


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

validreasoning said:


> ECW while massively influencial was a promotion working on a shoe string out of Heyman mothers kitchen.


I guarantee if Heyman was given just 10% of the hundred million Tony had ECW would've been even more amazing and influential then it was. It would've created a financial buffer and allowed Heyman to retain some of his top guys.

If you believe the stories of the likes of Heyman, Dreamer etc ECW would've been the place that guys like Punk, Joe, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, AJ Styles got their starts in wrestling from so Heyman would've been known for taking a small indy, creating this new style in America, going national and then reinventing himself in the new millennium discovering the best young talent in the world who would all go onto stardom with WWE.




zkorejo said:


> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1449516747317551104
> I think JDS is transitioning to wrestling for good?


Pretty cringe tbh. AEW needs to stop focusing on WWE and that includes AEW guys focusing on WWE guys.


----------



## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I guarantee if Heyman was given just 10% of the hundred million Tony had ECW would've been even more amazing and influential then it was. It would've created a financial buffer and allowed Heyman to retain some of his top guys.
> 
> If you believe the stories of the likes of Heyman, Dreamer etc ECW would've been the place that guys like Punk, Joe, Low Ki, Bryan Danielson, AJ Styles got their starts in wrestling from so Heyman would've been known for taking a small indy, creating this new style in America, going national and then reinventing himself in the new millennium discovering the best young talent in the world who would all go onto stardom with WWE.
> 
> ...


You're in a thread titled "WWE champion talks about AEW Roster". He responded to Reigns. 

Besides I like both rosters taking shots. It's fun.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

zkorejo said:


> You're in a thread titled "WWE champion talks about AEW Roster". He responded to Reigns.
> 
> Besides I like both rosters taking shots. It's fun.


I haven't seen the interview but I think I read a transcript of it when it first came up...Roman was asked about AEW and responded.

That's different then the situation we have here in which AEW guys (Including the owner) are actively mentioning the WWE every chance it gets.


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## zkorejo (Jul 2, 2010)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I haven't seen the interview but I think I read a transcript of it when it first came up...Roman was asked about AEW and responded.
> 
> That's different then the situation we have here in which AEW guys (Including the owner) are actively mentioning the WWE every chance it gets.


Why not. Makes for fun headlines and discussions.


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> thanks - on OP
> 
> Reigns is playing his character and playing it well
> 
> ...


Don't forget wardlow, bear boulder,powerhouse hobbs,luchasaurus......


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## La Parka (Oct 28, 2008)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> Don't forget wardlow, bear boulder,powerhouse hobbs,luchasaurus......


Roman would take out all these fools at once


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

La Parka said:


> Roman would take out all these fools at once


Extremely doubtful, lots of almost nfl stars think they are killer real fighters until they actually fight.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Talks about what wrestlers can fight is silly. Outside of the ones who actually have successfully combat sports careers, best to assume they can't actually fight. That goes for the "randomly trains" and "won a bunch of fights nobody saw" guys too.


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## Kenny's Ghost (Nov 23, 2020)

RapShepard said:


> Talks about what wrestlers can fight is silly. Outside of the ones who actually have successfully combat sports careers, best to assume they can't actually fight. That goes for the "randomly trains" and "won a bunch of fights nobody saw" guys too.


You're telling me Meng didn't really take down 40 cops and eat someone's face like Victor Crowley?


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

GNKenny said:


> You're telling me Meng didn't really take down 40 cops and eat someone's face like Victor Crowley?


I'm going to assume it was like 2 cops [emoji23]


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

*Roman threw the whole AEW roster out of the club like he said he would.
























*


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

The Legit DMD said:


> *Roman threw the whole AEW roster out of the club like he said he would.
> 
> View attachment 110336
> 
> ...


666 views…. Apt


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## CowboyKurtAngle (Jul 18, 2014)

I can't wait for Steiner/Bron to make the main roster in WWE as he seems to have the same attitude as his uncle lol. I'm sure he will have plenty to say, in character of course.

Also if we are to judge wrestlers who could fight, Shamrock and Blackman would be multiple champs, Corbin would have the Big Show's KO punch, Riddle would take anyone down and Gable Steveson will go on a long undefeated streak.

Lesnar and Lashley got their booking as they are also monsters, Taker has a black belt in BJJ and guys like Kane and Henry were insanely strong.


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

RapShepard said:


> Talks about what wrestlers can fight is silly. Outside of the ones who actually have successfully combat sports careers, best to assume they can't actually fight. That goes for the "randomly trains" and "won a bunch of fights nobody saw" guys too.


Yeah let's just have another brawl for all and watch guys like reigns make complete idiots of themselves and injure themselves in the process as well. Just because they have muscles and play badasses on tv doesn't mean they can fight. A very low percentage of wrestlers can even throw a punch properly lol.


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## CowboyKurtAngle (Jul 18, 2014)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> Yeah let's just have another brawl for all and watch guys like reigns make complete idiots of themselves and injure themselves in the process as well. Just because they have muscles and play badasses on tv doesn't mean they can fight. A very low percentage of wrestlers can even throw a punch properly lol.


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## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

The Legit DMD said:


> *It's funny how they celebrate Tony Khan's baseless shit talking and cry about Roman telling the truth. I'm loving every bit of this.*


You're just going to pretend that you didn't make an angry rant about Tony Khan hyping up his product recently (while desperately clinging to any silly nonsense that comes out of the Universal Champion's mouth falsely labeling them as "facts/truth"?

You're not "loving" this, dude.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> Yeah let's just have another brawl for all and watch guys like reigns make complete idiots of themselves and injure themselves in the process as well. Just because they have muscles and play badasses on tv doesn't mean they can fight. A very low percentage of wrestlers can even throw a punch properly lol.


Folks in general lol. I think if you spend any real time around fighters you quickly realize most civilian fights are win basically off the strength the other person wants to fight way less than the winner does lol.


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> 666 views…. Apt


*Acknowledge Satanic Sasha as your BOSS and savior.*


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

RapShepard said:


> Folks in general lol. I think if you spend any real time around fighters you quickly realize most civilian fights are win basically off the strength the other person wants to fight way less than the winner does lol.


Most streetfights are completely lopsided, always big guy vs lil guy or a dude picking a fight with someone who doesn't want to fight at all lol.

ANY pro wrestlers trying to talk about beating others up without an actual combat sports career is fucking laughable and looks really weak/insecure Reins too.

To be clear I don't care if this was wardlow or anyone from AEW either I'm talking ALL wrestling.


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## DUD (Feb 21, 2021)

Well.. He's not wrong about being able to beat them all up. Anybody who you'd look at it and think "Yeah they'd have a chance against Roman" certainly isn't booked that way.

What's most interesting to me is that WWE have adopted a stance where they're willing to criticse AEW to 'toe the company line'.


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

Forum Dud said:


> Well.. He's not wrong about being able to beat them all up. Anybody who you'd look at it and think "Yeah they'd have a chance against Roman" certainly isn't booked that way.
> 
> What's most interesting to me is that WWE have adopted a stance where they're willing to criticse AEW to 'toe the company line'.


Being booked strongly doesn't equate into real fighting skills lol


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## DUD (Feb 21, 2021)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> Being booked strongly doesn't equate into real fighting skills lol


I was talking about it from a literal and a kayfabe sense. Lol.


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)




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## oldtimer24 (Jun 2, 2021)

Dude you do know wrestling isn't real , sorry to burst your bubble Roman has the title because that's what some writer put that in a script. He didn't really need to beat anyone, and he hasn't I think the whole tribal chief storyline is stupid and kind of offensive to real Samoans He just one big cheater that isn't something to be proud of.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

oldtimer24 said:


> Dude you do know wrestling isn't real , sorry to burst your bubble Roman has the title because that's what some writer put that in a script. He didn't really need to beat anyone, and he hasn't I think the whole tribal chief storyline is stupid and kind of offensive to real Samoans He just one big cheater that isn't something to be proud of.


Are you saying Roman isn't a real Samoan? Lol.


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## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

Really fantastic kayfabe interview by RR. 

And he indeed can beat up most of the AEW roster for real.


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## $Dolladrew$ (Jun 15, 2020)

Wolf Mark said:


> Really fantastic kayfabe interview by RR.
> 
> And he indeed can beat up most of the AEW roster for real.


🤣


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## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

$Dolladrew$ said:


> 🤣


While doing push ups and writing poems


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