During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani for BT Sport, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns commented on John Cena’s comments about The Shield during last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On if Cena ever helped The Shield out or gave advice: “There’s times where I think yes, as The Shield [Cena] helped us out. For sure when it was time to break up and go our separate ways, there might have been a little nugget here or there but I really prided myself on doing it my way and not for the most part trying to fall into that peer pressure and that expectation of being the next John Cena, although that comparison is always going to be there due to the sequence of events and careers.
For me, I just always prided myself on learning it the way I wanted to learn it. Learn this performance and these nuances and these details and these different skill sets within the performing arts my way and on my timing. No, I wouldn’t say by any means I was mentored like some other talents were by some other veteran guys. I’ve always relied heavily on my family and my instincts to know the way in what I should be doing.”
On Cena’s comments about Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose on last week’s Smackdown: “There’s levels to this game man. John has skills, he’s charismatic, he’s a great public speaker, he has good energy, he really understands crowd reaction. When you don’t have good stuff to say, let’s just pander to the crowd and that’s what he did. It’s like a professional watching another professional and I could see, he had nothing to him. He’s just doing that spin game and they’re counting to three with me, let’s say that over. Marketing strategy, let’s condition them and do it 14 times but when it comes down to it there was nothing that he said, there was no connection there. I have no clue.”
On his fellow Shield members: “Dean is obviously doing what Dean is doing and I think he’s happy over there at AEW but if he could’ve been the man here, he would’ve been the man here. But he couldn’t because I’m the man here. Seth Rollins is going through the same thing but he’s doing great. I can say that as someone who is doing better than him, I’m the Universal Champion, this is all mine, it’s my company. But he’s still a great talent who’s doing the best work of his career so I don’t really know man. It was quite the experience to see him out there, it was just words, a whole bunch of energetic words.”
On the last time he spoke with Jon Moxley: “It’s been a while man. I think the last time was probably WrestleMania. It’s been a minute. I need to reach out to him and give him the congrats on the baby and everything. With everything going on, within the pandemic and everything that comes along with that, being back on the road and being back in front of live audiences, dealing with John Cena, it’s been crazy for sure.”
(h/t – Wrestling Inc)