Paul Heyman Describes When Roman Reigns Had 'Had Enough' With WWE Creative
In the early months of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, and professional wrestling was just one of the countless aspects of life that was affected. During this period, WWE continued running shows, but not all of the company's talent took part in those early pandemic months, and that includes Roman Reigns. Speaking on "Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin," Paul Heyman revealed that, in addition to wanting to limit his exposure to the spreading virus, Reigns was unhappy with his creative direction in WWE at the time.
"I'm still there as executive director. Roman Reigns has taken time off," Heyman said. "With his condition, he's not exposing himself to this pandemic that we don't have a grasp on how severe it can be quite just yet. And, at the same time, he's had enough of the creative. These things are running concurrently." Heyman, who has been a strong advocate for Reigns both onscreen and behind the scenes, had much more to say about Reigns' headspace at the time of his sabbatical.
Reigns puts his foot down
"The feud-rivalry-story with Baron Corbin over dog food, and the infamous 'suffering succotash' promo, had weighed on him enough to where he said, 'I've had enough. I've reached the cap. I can't go any further as the Big Dog,'" Heyman continued, speaking from the perspective of Reigns.
"'I've peaked, [but] as an athlete I haven't peaked. As a performer, I've barely scratched the surface. I have so much more to offer, and since I'm taking time off, I'm not coming back as the same person. This is where I make my move. This is where I do, for me, what Lesnar did for himself when he conquered the streak. Something has to become my defining moment, and then propel forward from there — the catalyst to something completely different.'"
Reigns would eventually come back as a villain, soon calling himself "The Tribal Chief" and kicking off the era of The Bloodline that is still progressing to this day. As of now, the conflict between Reigns and his cousins, The Usos, is boiling over, with Jimmy having sided against Reigns, their brother Solo Sikoa siding with "The Tribal Chief," and Jey Uso having an important decision to make on this week's episode of "WWE SmackDown."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.