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Roman Reigns Reveals Tough Career Choice Cost Him WWE Locker Room Friendships

By Sunil Joseph • Published Jul 19, 2026 12:03 EDT
roman reigns wwe
Roman Reigns is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion - Source: WWE.com

Roman Reigns just made a huge revelation.

It was clear that from the moment Roman Reigns made his main roster debut that he was going to be a massive star. WWE tried to strap a rocket onto him as early as possible. However, the fans rejected Roman’s push.

Things changed when Roman Reigns returned in 2020. He was now a heel, and his character had a lot of edge. Not to mention that Paul Heyman was by his side. This alliance and character quickly got over with the fans, and it resulted in The OTC becoming one of the biggest stars in the entire industry. Reigns became the biggest box office star in the WWE. However, this meteoric rise to the top came at a serious cost for the World Champion.

Roman Reigns made a choice that left him without friends

During a recent appearance on the Nightcap podcast at Fanatics Fest, Roman Reigns was asked who he hates personally. The OTC replied that he used to be one of the boys. However, he made a decision in 2020 that he was going to focus on winning championships and moving the industry forward. Therefore, this decision left him without friends. However, Reigns seems happy with this choice since he has his family with him. He also clarified that the Bloodline is going to be running things until he is gone.

“I mean, if you’re a fan, I think that’s an easy one to guess. But, you know, honestly, um…[fans sing Seth Rollins’ theme] And we don’t do that here. That’s a quick way to get me to leave. Nah, honestly, it’s weird because years ago, it was a different story. I’m in a different place, you know what I mean? It’s a locker room. There is a camaraderie. It is a show, and we are all working together. So there is that friendship, and in the business, we call it being one of the boys. Being the boys, you know what I mean? And early on, you could easily say that’s exactly what I was. But there was around a time when I kind of transformed into the Tribal Chief, around COVID when I came back, I had to make a choice of, do I want to be one of the boys, or do I want to be responsible for the championships? Do I want to pull the wagon? Do I want to make this business better? Do I want to advance the industry? And I had to make that choice. And I’ll plainly say now, I don’t really have any friends anymore. I mean, I have my family, I got my blood, and that’s real. We’re not a faction, we’re a family. People wonder, like, how long is this gonna go on? Forever, until I’m gone.”

Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

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Also read: AEW Star Athena Breaks Roman Reigns’ Historic WWE Record

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