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“It Was So Hard”: Roman Reigns Breaks Character to Criticize Vince McMahon’s ‘Big Dog’ Booking

Published 04/01/2024, 2:36 AM EDT

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Roman Reigns is the most important figure on WWE’s current roster. The Tribal Chief has managed to maintain his position as the leader of the company in recent years. But it is not something that happened from the beginning of his career. There was a moment when fans did not take kindly to the fact that he was presented as the face of WWE. Moreover, the company didn’t pay heed to public opinion and continued to shoehorn him into the main event scene.

This made the fans turn on him despite him being presented as the babyface. And it seems like Reigns knew that the WWE Universe would be up in arms against him. But there wasn’t much he could do, as he opened up on what happens backstage and the idea of going against Vince McMahon.

The Tribal Chief talks about his previous bookings

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In his latest A&E documentary, Roman Reigns broke character and talked about the days when he left the Shield and his run as a babyface. A run that fans call similar to the run of John Cena as ‘Super Cena’. Both superstars in question faced heat from wrestling fans for their forced inclusion in various storylines and their indomitable portrayal during matches. But it seems like even Reigns did not want the forced push. Opening up on the backstage happenings, the 38-year-old criticized Vince McMahon’s booking. He said, “It’s not like I had a whole bunch of options that I can just say ‘No, I’m not feeling this. This doesn’t feel good to me. Or I wouldn’t say this’. It was so hard to do that. When you don’t have that backup. When you don’t have that f**k you money. And you can’t just stand on your art and your family’s depending on you and your livelihood’s depending on you. So you just have to be a good soldier and do what you’re told.”

Well, Reigns surely did not want the unnatural push. And it is not a secret that Vince McMahon does as he pleases and is notorious for being stubborn. At times, even changing booking decisions last minute. So it’s no wonder that this isn’t the first time that the WWE’s Tribal Chief has opened up on his Big Dog run. The WWE Universe expressed their heated frustration at the superstar at one particular event. The 2015 Royal Rumble PPV. In fact, he recently called it a ‘Bad time’ when he was booked as the superman of the company.

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Roman Reigns on the Royal Rumble heat he received

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At the Royal Rumble 2015, Roman Reigns won the battle royale that gave him access to wrestle Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. In the final moments, Kane and Big Show, who had previously been eliminated, attacked Reigns when there were still two active wrestlers to go. The Rock made his surprise appearance and attacked the bad guys, facilitating his cousin’s victory. For his A&E biography, Roman Reigns has spoken about the Rumble and remembers it as a bad time.

Reigns remembers that he fought hard for that opportunity. But when it finally arrived, the crowd booed him and ruined his moment. “I was booed. You think of these moments, you dream about them. And the moment that it actually happens. It’s like they’re playing the worst soundtrack of all time over your moment. Ruining your party. That’s how the Rumble in Philly felt. I try to forget Philly, I try to forget the Royal Rumble.”

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Interestingly, the city of Philadelphia hosts WrestleMania XL. Interestingly, Reigns will also share the ring with The Rock on the first day. The two team up to face the duo of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. On the second day, Roman Reigns will put the Undisputed Universal Championship on the line against Cody Rhodes. Who do you think would win? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by:

Abhishek Kumar Das

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Abhishek Kumar Das is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. Having previously worked as a researcher, journalist, and combat sports editor, Abhishek is uniquely poised to deliver wrestling news that is both straightforward and backed by facts. A die-hard Jeff Hardy fan, and a defender of heels to hell and beyond, he enjoys delving into the different storylines that both WWE and other promotions have to offer.
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Edited by:

Amal Joyce