Roman Reigns Says WWE "Had To Do A Lot Of Things" To Get Brock Lesnar To Return

Before tonight's episode of "Supersized SmackDown", the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns sat down to speak with Bleacher Report. WWE's "Tribal Chief" looks forward to seeing Brock Lesnar return to television in route to their Universal Title match at Crown Jewel on October 21.

"I don't know if there's another competitor or opponent on [Brock Lesnar's] level of legitimacy and certainly a huge threat to everything I've done for the last year and a half," Reigns said. "To complete this process, take it home and then get out there to Saudi Arabia and knock out Crown Jewel. Hear that, 'And still Universal champion,' jump on the jet, head back to Wichita to knock out another SmackDown. To me, it's like a weekly process, and you get in that groove and it's on to the next thing. What's the next thing?

"Completion becomes a nice box to check, but at the same time, it's about being on the road in Ontario in the L.A. area. It should be an awesome time with great energy, and where we are now, going through a pandemic and the uncertainty we've all sort of faced as a society, I think we have to take advantage and enjoy the little things, the little parts of being a human being and just interacting and having gratitude for what used to be the normal things in life."

Lesnar, who returned unexpectedly at SummerSlam in August, is someone Reigns has gone toe-to-toe with in WWE many times in the past. This time, however, Brock is having a match against "The Tribal Chief" version of Roman.

"I knew there were a lot of things we had to do to get to that point," Reigns said. "There were a lot of bricks that needed to be stacked up to get to a point where he felt enticed to come back.

"I don't know a lot about Brock. Just like you don't. That's the way he's played it, and I think it's a genius move. Not only for himself and his mental health and his family and everything and just to keep himself out of the public eye, but it creates so much mystique behind him as a performer and as a character, which is something that's a lost portion of what we do in our business, a lost piece of the art form."

Roman also commented on Lesnar's presence in the world of MMA, seeing as "The Beast" is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion with two successful title defenses. The leader of "The Bloodline" acknowledges that this legitimacy is something that sets Lesnar apart from most athletes.

"Brock Lesnar might be one of the most... I'm not going to throw him in that GOAT category of actual MMA fighting and mixed martial arts, but as far as from a draw standpoint and attention and eye-raising [standpoint], I don't know if there's anyone outside of [Conor] McGregor and Ronda [Rousey], but then there's Brock," he said. "There's a special three when it comes to the fight game, and Brock's got a stronghold. People want to see him get physical. He just has that allure and demeanor around him.

"I knew if we did what we did—and thank God it happened the way that it did and we were able to accomplish these things the way that we have—I knew everybody and their mother would be trying to get in the ring with me."