WWE Universal Champion "The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns recently spoke with Jimmy Traina on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, where he discussed his feud with WWE legend and the 16-time World Champion John Cena and the promo he cut on Cena when he called Cena a “nostalgia act” and he even said the 16-time World Champion keeps on doing the same thing over and over again, like missionary position every single night. Reigns said that his promos are no longer scripted and he revealed if this line got him in trouble.
Roman Reigns said:
“There was a portion of my career where I’d either read a script or I would try to adjust a script as much as possible.” “For a while now, especially since I’ve come back from my little leave during the beginning of the pandemic since SummerSlam, I’m not scripted. I say what I want to. I say what I feel, and if it comes out of my mouth, it’s my verbiage. I come up with it. I deliver it, and that’s why it’s been the way it’s been because it’s mine.”
“I don’t know why they edited that out, and I think it did raise some eyebrows, but I don’t get in trouble. The gimmick is as close to being real as possible. Even if, even if they try to say something to me, I wouldn’t have cared anyways. What are you gonna do, not have me on SmackDown next week. Like I did before SummerSlam during last summer, I’ll go home. It doesn’t matter to me. Let’s see how it goes without me.”
Roman Reigns also talked about his current creative process when it comes to his promos.
Roman Reigns said:
“Everything’s a bit of feel. Obviously, this is my job, so I have a game plan.” “I’m attached to the creative process, so we’re always brainstorming. We’re always coming up with new material, but it’s all on the delivery. You can have the coolest lines of all time, but if you’re not connected to it, you’re not within the skin of what you’re trying to do, it’s not going to come off, right. So you have to really put yourself in that position and try to deliver it accordingly.”
“It definitely wasn’t something that was holstered throughout the week or the month or anything like that. I have to be in that process. I have to be on location, in the mode because there are huge differences between who I am in real life between Joe and Roman. I’m a father and a husband. That’s the priority, but when it’s time to go to SmackDown or time to go to a WWE event, I have to put on that whole Head of the Table mindset, that whole tribal chief skin and try to display that as authentically as possible”
Roman Reigns then talked about being paired with Paul Heyman and how Paul's experience and career has carved out a path within the industry. Reigns also talked about how Heyman's experience and his level of performance provides and adds a great weapon to Reigns' arsenal.
Roman Reigns said:
“It can be tough at times.” “Huge kudos to Paul and his experience, his career, the path that he’s carved out within this industry, and also leading this industry for a portion of that time and taking it to different thresholds and extremes that had never been done before. It’s constantly trying to be emulated, but it’s just never gonna be the same, but I think that’s just goes to show that the experience and the level of performance that he provides and that adds just a great weapon in my arsenal to be able to have someone like Paul Heyman, which there I don’t think there’s anyone like him.”
“He’s a one of one. There’s no doubt about it. To be able to have him in my corner to bounce ideas off of, to riff and brainstorm about the creative, whether it’s a line, whether it’s a delivery, there are a lot of times where I’m like, ‘Paul, listen to this. What do you think?” He, straight up, ‘That’s not you, or, yes!’ And he does a great job. I can’t call it a coach because sometimes, there’s obviously different coaching methods, but Paul has this unique sixth sense of knowing when to deposit a confidence coin in a performer and just give you that one little set of affirmation, where you’re just like, I am the man!”
“You’re on the cusp of having that full, let’s go out there and crush this thing in front of millions of people, and he can just say one little thing to where you, without question, believe in what you’re doing. I’m sure I could do it, but I don’t think I would want to do this without him in my corner, and he’s one of very few. I had two requests. I wanted to work with Michael Hayes, that’s my guy. He’s been with me from The Shield days and even before that with my family, and a lot of the people around me have been in relation and in close contact with my family, even before my time as a performer, back when I was just a kid. They have a great history with my family, and they’ve taken to me like family, like blood and those are two guys who are critical in my process, Michael Hayes and Paul Heyman.”
You can check out Roman Reigns' comments in the embedded audio player below:
