From your days in a warehouse to lead the rings: Roman Reigns reacts to WWE's new alliance with ESPN and comments on many other current issues. All this during a recent interview with the same medium.
► In Roman Reigns words
On the announcement of Wrestlemania and other ESPN events from 2026
«It's like a news cycle itself. There is always something new for us, and it always seems to be bigger and better. I think Nick Khan has done a great job, Paul Mild (Triple H) has also done a great job guiding us, and the test is in the results: We continue to level up, and this is not different. “
About what it means to fans
«I think it's an opportunity to continue growing. Every time you can partner with a platform like ESPN – you are the leaders in sports media – no one does better than you. So, to help us tell our stories and capture even more attention, it is an obvious alliance. It is huge for our fan base. Whenever we can grow our art, our form of sport and entertainment, it will be for them. »
Comparison between Wrestling and football (its past in Georgia Tech, NFL, CFL)
«Before it was very different, but now we have grown so much that it is no longer only in Arenas, now they are stages. In that sense, it is no different from football. You have that outdoor feeling, that same energy. But there is something special in the wrestling public, the sports entertainment audience. It is like mixing the tradition of football with the magnitude of the football. Our hobby is unique. They sing with you, make songs … it is much more interactive than one can imagine. “
About how WWE has achieved such a passionate fans base
«I think everything is reduced to the passion with which we do this. When people see someone have fun, enjoying what they do, trying to take it to the next level, that is contagious. We have always had people who love to do this. And if you don't have that kind of dedication and passion towards this art, you will not go far. To get to the level I am, you have to go through hell. “
«I am a guy who was done from the bottom. Before this was a form of working class entertainment: many days on the road, rented cars, cheap hotels, be 300 days a year out. Having reached the point where we are today, playing the mainstream door, is incredible. Maybe we're there … but I'm still telling me that you still have to continue pushing. “
About the new alliance with ESPN and what can be expected
«As we said, we are constantly trying to improve. We do not believe we are in our final form. Entertainment is always evolving. So the type of pressure we get is positive. Knowing that we are with ESPN forces us to grow, to improve, to reach a broader audience. And that is exactly what we are going to do. “
On whether something is missing to reach another even higher level
«I think we already have the ingredients. But as entertainment changes, and the new generations are taking control, those things happen in real time. You have to be authentic and organic. If you try to force something, it will not fit well. So you have to let things flow as they should. In the coming years many things will happen, and although we don't know exactly what, we do know that we have to keep a step forward. Not too much, but enough to be able to react with intelligence. “
About the role of managers (like Paul Heyman)
«I think everything is. The other day we finished the show generating hate, you know? All annoying what happened. That drives us week by week. This is episodic, so we always need to have something ready for the next one. It is the classic battle of good against evil. Although there are more gray areas today, the best stories are still when the hero faces the villain. When the bad is universally hated, and the good universally loved, an incredible magic is created. “
On the development of talent and the hardness of the road to stardom
«It's hard. When I started, I earned $ 500 a week in a dirty tamto. Today we have a high performance center with between 7 and 10 rings ready all the time. The facilities have no comparison. And the new boys already earn more money. But this is how it works: while we grow, the base also goes up. “
«I have played Football since the age of 7. If you are good, you earn 70 or 75% of the plays. But in wrestling, every time I fall to the ground, I lose 100% of the time. It hurts every time. That a bigger guy lifts you and scourges you does not feel good. We can create a lot of magic, but when you fall, you simply fall. That simple. “
