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Roman Reigns Comments on WWE WrestleMania in Tampa Bay, “I’ve Always Wanted to Turn Heel,” Facing The Rock, More

Here are some interview highlights with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns from an interview he did with Fox Sports. The interview lasted about 20 minutes and I have shared it at the bottom of the review.

Reigns reacted to the news that WrestleMania 37 will take place on April 10 and 11 this year in Tampa Bay with some fans in attendance:

“I think the commitment the WWE has to the communities that we pinpoint, those locations, means a lot to the economy and what we do for a city. Obviously, it was terrible being in a pandemic, going through these COVID times, but to not be able to put on a WrestleMania for Tampa was tough and to have to do it in the PC was – I wasn’t there – but it was quite different for everybody else, I know.”

“So, to be able to go back and bring that experience to the Tampa Bay area … I’m not exactly sure how it’s all going to go down as far as the attendance and all that. I know they’re still working that out, safety and keeping all the protocols up to par. Beyond that, obviously, is gonna be number one. It just feels good being able to go back to Tampa Bay and say we’re going to be able to do it.”

Reigns talked about what it’s like without fans in attendance while also reminiscing about the reactions he used to get:

“It’s been tough. My whole career has been based off of reactions. Everything is due to interactions. That’s kinda always been my measuring stick.”

“Even when the fans hated me, it was still louder than everybody else. Everybody else can complain. They can bitch and complain about, ‘Oh, I don’t get this opportunity,’ or ‘I should be like this,’ or ‘I should be here,’ ‘I should be the main event.’ But, when it came down to it, my reaction was always way louder than everybody else’s. There’s only one guy. Cena. That’s it, for obvious reasons … and he’s no longer here anymore.”

Reigns commented on his current heel run in WWE and how he always wanted to be a heel:

“I’ve always wanted to turn heel. I didn’t feel like I should have been the babyface out of the Shield group. We all agreed, we thought it should have been Seth, and then keep me as a bad guy. But, you know, it just happens the way it happens, the numbers lined up the way they did. Things were starting to work as a good guy for me. Then, obviously, it took a toll here and there. There were some nights where there were some loud boos. People take that response and they run with it, because sometimes, it was at the shows that were big and that were seen. The pay-per-views – the Royal Rumble in Philly. Just about everybody gets booed in Philly, you know what I’m saying? Philly is so loud they’re gonna boo Daniel Bryan one day. That’s how Philly works. It’s just Philly.”

Reigns further explained the heel turn:

“When the opportunity (to turn heel) came I jumped on it. It was kind of a team discussion. Obviously, you gotta have the big man (Vince McMahon) involved and gotta have the blessing from him. But, it just all seemed to work out with perfect timing.”

“I think we’re in a point where we’re in a time frame, being in a pandemic, no crowds, no tickets sales, let’s just create this content and take care of our television providers and our audiences watching at home. Let’s take a chance. If this ain’t the time to gamble, then I don’t know when is. So, I’m glad we did.”

Reigns also spoke about a potential WrestleMania 39 match with his cousin The Rock in Los Angeles in 2023:

“This year, obviously we’re in Tampa. Next year, we’ll be in Dallas, and then we’ll go to Hollywood for [WrestleMania] 39, and I think it just makes sense. He’s the biggest movie star in the world. He’s the biggest box office attraction for the big screen out there. To be able to take that and match it up with the biggest box office attraction in sports entertainment, within the wrestling ring, I think some magic would be made.”

“And not only that, this wouldn’t be possible – I’m in my prime. I’m at my peak physical condition as far as in that ring, athleticism, the whole nine. I can slip and slide. I can do anything in the ring I want to do, I just choose not to do it all, you know what I’m saying? “

“But, none of this would be possible if Dwayne wasn’t in great shape, you know what I mean? If he was just out there playing dad roles and was fat and did not take it. But, he busts his ass every single day. Every single week you see these new workout videos coming and he’s just clanging and banging, doing his thing, lifting all weights.”

Those are just some of the highlights. You can check out the video below.