Roman Reigns had plenty to say in the final hours before WrestleMania weekend. Appearing Friday on ESPN’s First Take, he was asked which superstar on this weekend’s card could face him in the future. Without hesitation, the Tribal Chief named “The Ruler.”
“Oba Femi. No doubt,” Reigns said.
The former NXT Champion has made waves tossing Brock Lesnar around ahead of their WrestleMania Sunday opener, the same night Reigns is set to close the show. Their placement suggests WWE wants fans to remember both
Femi and Reigns as the bookends of the night.
He also mentioned WWE’s rising talent, highlighting Trick Williams and Je’Von Evans, whom he’s taken under his wing. Reigns also praised former United States Champion Carmelo Hayes, noting his main roster rise hasn’t matched the others, despite all coming from NXT.
“He’s had a different route than the other guys,” Reigns noted. “I’ve really liked the resiliency that he’s shown, and he’s torn it up on SmackDown for a while now, so I’m looking for big things from him.”
While discussing his legacy and what he means to WWE, Reigns appeared to take a veiled shot at wrestling’s self-professed QB1, Cody Rhodes, saying, “I’m the only real superstar that WWE has. I’m the only guy around here that they pay me like I throw a football.”
He also appeared on Men’s Health’s Muscle Car series, where he took a direct swipe at the Undisputed WWE Champion. Reigns, who stars in the upcoming Street Fighter film, was asked to name his favorite character of all time. Besides Akuma, whom he plays in the movie, he named a classic while throwing shade at Rhodes.
“Ryu was always the top guy. Guile was up there, too, until…” When the host mentioned Rhodes, who plays Guile in the flick, Reigns replied, “Yeah.”
Teasing Retirement
Of everything from Reigns’ appearances, his interview with Michael Cole drew the most attention as he teased retiring if he lost to Punk at Mania.
“If I lose to CM Punk at WrestleMania, I don’t belong in the WWE anymore. I think if I were to lose on Sunday, I’d say my work is done,” Reigns said.
With ticket sales trailing last year’s WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium, the site of this year’s event, his declaration could be a sales pitch to help drive late sales and ESPN App buys if fans believe it might be his last match.
Yet, there could also be something more behind those words.
With every Reigns interview, there’s just enough truth in his kayfabe and kayfabe in his truth to make his words worth unpacking. Earlier this year, he criticized WWE for not building more stars, a clear shot at its creative head, Paul Levesque.
It’s worth considering that Reigns’ line to Cole could be read as a veiled warning to Levesque if Sunday’s finish isn’t set. In other words, regardless of his contractual status, if Reigns doesn’t go over, he’s done.
Whether on ESPN or sitting down with Cole, Reigns keeps positioning himself as what’s best for WWE. It often sounds like character work. Maybe it is. But sometimes, under the guise of kayfabe, wrestlers mean what they say.
Everything comes to a head Sunday when WrestleMania streams live at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on the ESPN App with an Unlimited plan and internationally on Netflix.
